Author Spotlight: Willow Cross

Here is an author spotlight on an amazing indie author, Willow Cross!

About Willow Cross:

Willow Cross resides in Arkansas with her husband, two children still young enough to live at home, an enormous cat named Bitsy, and a neurotic dog named Tank. Her home has been known to host the occasional ghost and several of her friends profess to be witches. Although she dearly loves Vampires and Werewolves, they are never invited for dinner.

Media Links: Facebook Twitter Website Blog  

Her Books:

The Dark Gifts: Birthright

For one-thousand years, Druid prophecies foretold of a young witch destined to alter the fate of both human and immortal alike. This witch-turned-vampire would be capable of harnessing the supernatural abilities of both and, in a bloody rise to power, would rule with unwavering control.

Unwillingly thrust into a world she never dreamed existed, Liz Markum is catapulted into an ancient war between rival vampire factions. She must choose between those she loves and the ever-present darkness attempting to devour her very soul.

Only one question remains: Will Liz claim her birthright or surrender to the dark gift?

One choice.

One chance.

Two destinies.

You can find it on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and most online retail ebook stores. Print edition is available from Amazon and Createspace.

The Dark Gifts: Inheritance

It all started with a gift... When Sarah and her older brother received a house from an Aunt they never knew existed, they counted it a blessing. For the first time in her young life, Sarah had a real home. Within months, the once beloved dark gift revealed a hidden curse.  As the full moon rose into the heavens, the only person she’d ever been able to count on had become a monster. Desperate to save her brother, Sarah embarks on a nightmarish journey into their lineage in hopes of discovering answers and a cure. If only she’d known beforehand...her brother wasn’t the worst monster out there. And he certainly wasn’t the most dangerous. To make matters worse, they’d been searching for her since the day she was born. You can find it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Also available in print!  

Afterlife: A Dark Gifts Companion

Companion to Birthright.Two hundred years before the battle of the fortress, a young man named William Townsend had to die.William had big plans. He would become a valiant soldier, fall in love, have a family, and die. In fact, he was certain it would happen in that exact order. But fate is a fickle taskmaster and things almost never go as planned. And sometimes, just sometimes, your true destiny will greet you in the afterlife. Free on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other online ebook stores.

The Bloodstone Oracle: A Dark Gifts Companion

Two centuries before the great Immortal Battle, a radical clan of witches united with one of the most powerful Druidic families. Under attack from the evil Kiana and her minions, they conspired to prevent the extinction of their ancient magical bloodlines.

Little did they know the magic forged during that All Hallows Eve would not only secure the continuation of their lineage, but would in fact create a new being, a new magic, that could someday save the entire world.The Bloodstone Oracle is the second short story companion to

The Dark Gifts series.Available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other online ebook stores.

Rise of the Demons: Oceans of Red Volume 1

By 2015 the streets of Los Angeles have been transformed from a thriving metropolis to a hostile world ravaged by demons bent on assimilating the human race. Standing between this total apocalypse of humanity and their chance for survival is 19 year old Remy Martin. A warrior in her own right, trained to think on her feet and kill if the situation requires, she is flanked by her older brother and younger sister. Together, they devise a plan to take back the streets. Against the wishes of their father, who commands the resistance forces, they venture into unknown realms of the supernatural in a race against time with the fate of the entire world in their young hands. You can find it FREE on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and most online retail ebook stores as a FREE download.  

Demon Evolution: Oceans of Red Volume 2

Remy's saga continues as the siblings uncover a sinister plot to not only posses the human race, but to replace them entirely. Will she accept her destiny and learn to control the new-found power within her?

You can find it on Amazon and Smashwords. and Barnes and Noble and most online retail ebook stores.

Haunted

Have you ever heard something go bump in the night and wonder if someone was there? Only to go looking for the cause of the noise and find nothing at all. Or how about unexplainably feeling like you’re being watched when you’re completely alone? Things disappearing for no reason or strange ghostly footsteps in the hall? This book is a collage of short stories about a few of the otherworldly experiences I’ve had. Although they are not movie worthy, you may find them interesting. All the stories are %100 true. Nothing has been added for dramatic effect. You can find it on Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and Smashwords for only .99 cents

A Christmas Miracle

 

A short inspirational story about a single mother and a very special Christmas.
You can find it on Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and Smashwords

A Higher Calling

 

A daughter’s mistake.

A mother’s wrath.

An impossible choice.

Sophie’s plans were simple: Leave the supernatural behind and raise a child of her own creation. For twenty years life couldn’t have been better, until the day her daughter showed up on her doorstep bloodied and bruised. They say, “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.” But the wrath of a mother, whose only desire was to protect her child, is unfathomable. Those pure of heart can rest easy. However, if you carry the slightest tinge of darkness, beware the Higher Calling.
You can find it on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, and most online ebook stores.

Hanging From the Family Tree: Tobias’ Story (#2) by Alison Davis Cover Reveal

I am so excited to announce the cover of Alison Davis' new novel, Hanging From the Family Tree: Tobias' Story (#2)! This is the companion novel to the wonderful Whispers on the Wind that was released earlier this year.

Full Synopsis:

Hanging from the Family Tree: Tobias’ Story, is a Young Adult fiction novel, based in a fictional English coastal town. 

Hidden letters from 1812, the British Regency, tell the story of Alexander Ventus, member of a very rich and influential local family. Besotted with a local women, Elizabeth, who is deemed beneath him, he is forced into a marriage with another woman. Distraught she throws herself from a cliff. Followed years later by Alexander, burdened by his guilt. 

Alexander Ventus is Tobias’ great, great, grandfather, and there is an alarming likeness to their lives.  Tobias’ Story tells of his struggle to find his place in his family and to discover what it truly means to be a Ventus.

I really love the cover of this new book; it's modern and intriguing, pairing a close-up photograph with the handwritten script writing, making this a professional and appealling cover for the Young Adult literature scene.

About the Author:

Alison has been writing from an early age, stories, poems, novels, prose. After a 3 year sabbatical from writing she returned to her passion to write Whispers on the Wind: Ari's story.

Her first novel, Whispers on the Wind: Ari's Story, was published in August 2012 on Lulu.com. Hanging from the Family Tree: Tobias' Story, a companion/sequel to Whispers on the Wind, is to be published in November 2012

Alison Davis is a great young author who has been writing since an early age and this new novel is definitely something worth checking out.

Spotlight: http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/JustASouthernBelle

Goodreads Q&A:http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/76366-ask-alison-davis

Goodreads Book: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15831053-whispers-on-the-wind

Goodreads Author:http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6470944.Alison_Davis

The Inimitable Jeeves - P.G. Wodehouse

Title: The Inimitable Jeeves
Author: P.G.Wodehouse
Publication information: Arrow Books (2008)

This book is a collection of stories revolving around Bertie Wooster and the mishaps that happen in his life. I have previously watched and enjoyed the television series starring Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry and felt obliged to read at least one of the books that Jeeves and Wooster is based on.

The plot was interesting throughout as the chapters were each separate stories but continued on from each other so you could easily read this in one session. It is only 253 pages long so I managed to read this in a day and was drawn in by the various events that take place.

The characters were my favourite part of this book. Wooster, the protagonist, was a bit annoying to be honest, mostly because he seemed to just go along with everything that he was told, but Jeeves was definitely intriguing and held the reader's interest. I found him mysterious and funny in parts and felt that he interacted well with all of the side characters and added a lot to the development of the characters and plots.

This book was originally published in 1923 and this is evident by the type of language that is used throughout. I found it difficult to get used to but got into it eventually and couldn't put it down! The individual stories tied together really well but I feel they could also be read separately.

Overall I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars as I found the writing style difficult in parts and it was not as funny as I thought it would be, but this was an enjoyable read and I will definitely pick up some of the others in this series at some point.

Everyman - Philip Roth

Title: Everyman
Author: Philip Roth
Publication information: Vintage (2007)

This book is about an old man's life concentrating on loss, regret and stoicism. I found this book very bleak and depressing to be honest. It is very short and I think that if you are after something that is emotional then this book would be perfect as it is very emotion driven rather than plot. This feels strangely like a biography written from a third person perspective as it shows a man's life until death. Instead of telling the reader everything, it seems to only concentrate on the negative aspects of  his life and this is why I felt I could only give this book 3 out of 5 stars.

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency - Douglas Adams

Title: Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
Author: Douglas Adams
Publishing information: Pan Books

This book is about Dirk Gently, a self-styled private investigator, who sets out to prove the fundamental interconnectedness of everything. I picked this book up for 20p at a local market which was amazing although the condition of my copy isn't very good but for that price, who would turn that down?!

The plot overall is quite a confusing one but captivating all the same. The story includes a mysterious mrder, pizza, professors and quantum mechanics, amongst other strange and wonderful things. Although in parts I got a bit lost, I found this very entertaining and it raises interesting and thought-provoking ideas about the universe.

I love the characters in this book. They're all very eccentric and strange but this adds to the mystery and excitement of the plot. I really like the intelligence of the characters, especially Dirk and Richard, because it creates intrigue and makes you really think about subjects that I, personally, wouldn't know about.

I have never read any of Douglas Adams' work and have only seen The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and will definitely be reading the book after reading this one. I found his writing captivating although very technical at some points. I enjoyed the short chapters even though the book itself is only 247 pages long.

Overall, I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars because although I enjoyed it, the ending wasn't as good as I thought it should be. I enjoyed the sci-fi aspect and the mystery too, and will definitely be reading more of Douglas Adams' books.

The Talented Mr Ripley - Patricia Highsmith

Title: The Talented Mr Ripley
Author: Patricia Highsmith
Publication information: Vintage

This book is a classic murder mystery about Tom Ripley who just wants money, success and a good life, and he's willing to kill for it.

This book is essentially a murder mystery but it isn't as straight forward as some classic mysteries that I have read. I have recently over the past few months become very interested in mystery novels since reading Barry Durham's The Demdike Legacy. On my edition of this book, The Sunday Times have been quoted saying "as haunting and harrowing a study of a schizophrenic murderer as paper will bear". To be honest this is completely accurate as there were some parts of this book where I was genuinely disturbed. I won't say what happens in this as it is a mystery but the plot captivated me from the start, because even though it doesn't pick up until about halfway through, the beginning builds up so much tension that it just keeps you turning pages.

Tom Ripley, the protagonist, is one of the most charismatic yet disturbing characters that I have ever read about. Again, I can't really say much without spoiling it but I love all of the characters and was happy to be given enough back story for each one. It is unusual for a novel to be centered around the murderer rather than the mystery behind them which makes The Talented Mr Ripley quite unique.

I think this book is well paced and the language used is perfect for this type of story. The poetic descriptions of Italy really sets the scene and contrasts with the more dramatic scenes. Although this is an adult publication, I think that it would also be suitable for teenage readers.

I would give this book 5 out of 5 stars and would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading mysteries.

The Fry Chronicles - Stephen Fry

Title: The Fry Chronicles
Author:Stephen Fry
Publication information: Penguin

This is the autobiography of Stephen Fry detailing his life from high school until he reached the age of thirty.

You can't really describe the plot of an autobiography because this is the point of reading the story of someone's life. I have to say that the "plot" of this book is captivating. I am a fan of all of Stephen Fry's work from A Bit of Fry and Laurie to QI. I have a huge respect for this great national treasure and it was interesting to find out more about his education and career. I found it all to be very insightful about an acting/writing career and enjoyed hearing of the funny stories of his past.

Many famous and wonderful people are mentioned in this book, many of whom I recognise as being brilliant; Emma Thompson, Hugh Laurie and Rowan Atkinson play a large part in this book, but also Douglas Adams (author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy), Chris Barrie (who later starred in Red Dwarf) and Robert Lindsay, amongst others, are also mentioned.

The writing is what made me pick this book up in the first place. It is written in such as way that it feels as though Stephen Fry is speaking to you and, in fact, on several occasions he directly addresses the reader which makes you really connect with what you are reading. It was difficult to get into at first but I got into it after a few pages and just loved the intelligence that seeps out of this style of writing whilst still sounding real and even using some swear words. The ending shocked me and definitely suggests a follow-up which I am now really looking forward to reading.

I would give this 5 out of 5 stars and would recommend it to any lover of Stephen Fry and anyone who is interested in biographies/autobiographies because I promise you this is one of the best you'll read.

Versatile Blogger Award!

I've never been nominated for any award before on this blog but I have been nominated for the Versatile Blogger Award by Jillian and PidginPea's Book Nook. I got given this over a week ago so I'm sorry for taking so long!

Here are the rules for the award...
- Thank the blogger who nominated you.
- Add the Versatile Blogger award picture to your post.
- Share 7 random facts about yourself.
- Nominate 15 fellow bloggers who are relatively new to blogging.
- Let the nominees know that they’ve been nominated.
And so...

15 nominations (some of these aren't that new but I love them all!):

1. Diane
2. Jaye
3. Amber
4. Jessica
5. Jenny
6. Debra
7. Eli
8. Jenny and Nick
9. Taschima
10. Abby
11. Christina
12. Jessica
13. Stephanie
14. Alison
15. Jennifer

7 facts about me...
1. I am studying Illustration in university and hope to develop a career in publishing/comics/concept art...
2. I love penguins and still have a sequin polystyrene model of one that I made when I was 7 :)
3. My heroes are John Green and Stephen Fry...they're just the most intelligent people I've ever had the pleasure of listening to.
4. I'm obsessed with tea and drink waaay too much of it
5. I live on Youtube...I don't have my own channel yet but one day I may pluck up the courage to make my own videos
6. My favourite thing about Christmas is buying other people gifts....I always get to a point of having to stop myself because of my skinny student budget
7. My favourite place to read is on trains...you can get lost in a book much easier :)



Thanks again to Jillian for nominating me :)

The Book with No Name - Anonymous

Title: The Book with No Name
Author: Anonymous

This book is an adult book about a town called Santa Mondega, vampires, monks, an Elvis impersonating hitman, and a serial killer called the Bourbon Kid.

The plot was amazing in this novel! I think that the depth of the mystery in this book and the gore, contrasted with humourous dialogue and situations. Just the synopsis on the back of the book made me buy this and I toally understand why it is a number 1 international best seller. The plot was helped by the characters and writing and everything tied together really well.

The characters in this are not as well developed as they would be in other novels but I think that it was not needed because reading it, I was still interested in all of them in different ways. The chapters switch focus to different characters throughout the novel and I think that this shift in focus helps the reader get a better image of what is going on and helps you to try to figure out the mystery on your own as well as reading it unfold.

The writing definitely makes this an adult book rather than a young adult. The language used and the amount of gory details that are provided make this a very visual read and some parts would definitely not be suitable for younger readers. The short chapters made this book very fast paced, as did the changing perspectives. The writing propelled the story along at a good pace and the cliffhanger chapter endings made me want to just keep reading.

Overall I would definitely give this book 5 out of 5 stars and would recommend it to any adult reader who is a fan of a good murder mystery. I finished this in 2 days and found myself not wanting to put this book down.

Ministry of Pandemonium - Chris Westwood

Title: Ministry of Pandemonium
Author: Chris Westwood

This book is a children's publication about a young boy who gets a "job" in a mysterious field, literally holding the balance of life and death on his shoulders.

I think that the plot was intriguing when I read the synopsis and it did not disappoint. For a children's book, I found this compelling and found it difficult to put down. I found the monsters frightening enough to make me want to read on and see what happened.

The characters were my favourite part of this book. The protagonist was interesting and had enough back story to make him a well-rounded character that is impressive for a children's book character. Mr October was a highly mysterious character who I was unsure about throughout which made the book even more exciting.

The writing style is basic because it is a children's book but it is still compelling and I really liked this book.

Overall I would give this book 5 out of 5 stars and although it is a children's book, it may be suitable for teenage readers too and I would definitely recommend it.

How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe - Charles Yu

Title: How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe
Author: Charles Yu
Publication information: Pantheon (2010)

I was hooked in by the line in the blurb on the inside cover; "In one minute Charles Yu is going to murder himself. Again". This novel is about Charles Yu, the protagonist in this book, and the events that take place in his life.

I found the plot of this novel very slow. Although it was enjoyable overall, I found that the main story didn't really start until at least half way through. I enjoyed the references to other science fiction narratives such as Star Wars and the amount of background information that was provided by the protagonist.

The main character was very likeable and at points I almost felt sympathetic towards him. I loved his interactions with his computer, TAMMY, and also Phil. I think that these characters really helped to develop Charles' personality, and make the reader find him more approachable.

The writing was really interesting and I found it complicated at points, but understandable despite the technical language used.

Overall, I would give this novel 4 out of 5 stars as I really grew to like the characters and on the whole I enjoyed the plot.

Toy Store Escape - Marcus Emerson & Ellie Alexandre

Title: Toy Store Escape

Authors: Marcus Emerson & Ellie Alexandre

Publication information: Amazon Media

This is definitely a story for younger readers but I still enjoyed it. This is only 18 pages long so was extremely quick, and reading it, I could see it making a really good comic book. It has everything that a children's story needs; humour, action and most importantly, a moral to the story.

Reading it, I couldn't help but think of Toy Story with Officer Onslaught really reminding me of Emporer Zurg just with his actions and the way he speaks.

Overall I only gave this 3 out of 5 stars on goodreads but I think younger readers would love this story and I really like the front cover of this ebook.

Behind the Mirror (Return of the Ancients 0.5) - Madison Adler

Title: Behind the Mirror

Author: Madison Adler

Publication information: Kindle Edition

"Rafael is a Fate Tracker, protecting his world and Earth from disaster, but what should he do when disaster appears in the form of love?"

This is an extremely short prequel story to the Return of the Ancients series by Madison Adler and it was a really quick read. Due to the readable writing style, this only took me about 15 minutes to get through but despite it being so short, I think that this definitely served its purpose in the way that it made me want to read this series. Sometimes prequel stories can either put you off a series or give you too much information, preventing you from wanting to read on but I think that this one was perfect. So far, from Behind the Mirror, I really like the characters and the premise of the future books, and also I like the way that the reader doesn't know exactly how this world works but has enough information to imagine it so far. I hope to get the other Return of the Ancient books at some point, but for now I would give this 5 out of 5 stars as there is nothing I could really say against this; good premise, interesting characters and brilliant writing!

A Tiny Bit Marvellous - Dawn French

Title: A Tiny Bit Marvellous

Author: Dawn French

Publication information: Penguin Group

"This first novel by Dawn French is told through the eyes of a mother and her two teenage children. There's seventeen-year-old Dora, a stroppy teenager who's just come out of her first relationship (it lasted a whole six weeks) and who's longing to escape to university; her long-suffering mother, Mo, a child psychiatrist who's baffled by the antagonist behaviour of her children; and sixteen-year-old Peter, who prefers to be known as Oscar due to his obsession with Oscar Wilde. Written in diary format, with each chapter narrated by a different voice, this is a hilarious, sharp and utterly compelling novel about the ups and down of family, sibling rivalry and growing up. With each chapter told from the point of view of one character, Dawn French's witty and engaging novel offers us an honest and insightful account into the relationships between children and parents."

The plot of this book was quite confusing at first as the story is told from the point of view of three different members of the Battle family who are all going through different things. Although it took a while to get into, I began to really like certain characters and look forward to their chapters over others. The plot itself was quite simple throughout, until the end, where I was genuinely surprised. Some reviews I have read have said that they found the ending predictable but I personally found it a perfect finish to this type of book. I don't usually get drawn to books like this, and other than John Green, I haven't really read any contemporary fiction, but knowing Dawn French from her comedy and television career, I was immediately intrigued by the idea of her as an author.

The characters were all very compelling and I think that telling a story from all these different perspectives would attract different types of reader. All of the characters were very caricatured but I think that this was necessary for this kind of novel.

Mo did not interest me at all at first. I found her to be quite boring and dull and just the run-of-the-mill mother in this book, but then I realised that this is why her storyline became so interesting. I began to gradually look forward to her chapters and was genuinely interested in her story.

Dora was hilarious but slightly annoying. I found the swearing and the ridiculous insults that she came out with really funny but overall, I think she acted and sounded a lot younger than seventeen throughout this book. However, I did really like Dora and I like that she was the typical angsty teenager. 

Oscar/Peter was an interesting character, mostly because I didn't really understand his character until about half way through the book, where he became much more rounded as a person rather than just a flamboyant accessory to the rest of the story.

Husband, to me was a really interesting character. This is mostly because you don't even know his name until literally the last word of the book and he is a mystery even though you know certain things about him from the other characters. I think that overall he was the most well rounded character even though he is only ever addressed as Husband, and even in the one chapter written from his point of view, he is called Dad, which I thought was really appropriate for the content and events that take place in that particular chapter. 

Pamela was also interesting, if not unusual for a grandmother. She was very down to earth and liked baking cakes, and her nursing background was evident throughout the novel.

The writing in this book was really interesting. Each of the main characters, Mo, Dora and Oscar, spoke in a completely different fashion; Dora was erratic with her language, speaking with a lot of swearing and slang, with some sections being scripts of instant messaging, Mo was more correct but still a believable character, and Oscar, through his obsession with Oscar Wilde and his flamboyancy, spoke in a more poetic way. I think that this helped differentiate between the characters and helped you, as the reader, to not confuse them at all.

Overall, I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars as I think it was a very interesting read but it took me a while to get into. I really loved the ending and the way that it was written, paired with the bright characters.

Selling My Soul: A Paranormal Short Story - Rae Northlight

Title: Selling My Soul (A Paranormal Short Story)

Author: Rae Northlight

Publishing information: Amazon Media

"Ginny Petersen is in love with vampires. She writes about them, she lives and breathes them, she wants to be one. So, when the opportunity arises for her to become a blood-surrogate for vampires, she jumps right in, in the hopes that one of the vamps will want to change her. What she doesn’t expect is the power it will give the vampires over her."

This is the synopsis provided on Amazon Kindle Store and I feel like it is completely misleading. 

This short story is only 7 pages long and has a lot of spacing so there isn't really any character development and also very little plot. Ginny is the protagonist and despite the way that the synopsis describes her as an avid writer obsessed by vampires, I didn't get anything about her really from the story itself. This story felt like one chapter of a very cliched vampire novel. I found the writing style very standard and easy to read so this was extremely quick to read and despite the interesting synopsis, I was thoroughly disappointed with this so gave it 1 out of 5 stars.

Paper Towns - John Green

Title: Paper Towns

Author: John Green

Publication information: Bloomsbury Publishing (2010)

When childhood crush, Margo Roth Spiegelman, turns up at Quentin's window late at night summoning to be part of her revenge plan, he follows. Soon when Margo disappears, he must solve the mystery and follow the clues left by her.

From the beginning, I found the plot very engaging despite it being quite slow to begin with. I think that although the premise is quite simple, I found myself hooked into the lives of these characters and I was just wanting to know how the whole mystery would be resolved. I really liked that some of the major revelations come from works of literature, which in some ways, even though I haven't read the works mentioned, give the novel more depth and make you want to read these connected texts too. 

The characters were amazing in this. I have read reviews of Paper Towns saying that John Green made Margo too perfect and I think that at first this is correct but I think that this is one of the major lessons of this book; Margo isn't perfect, that's just the way Quentin sees her to begin with. I think that this adds to Margo's character and all of the aspects of her personality really make her a rounded character. In some ways she reminds me of Alaska from Looking for Alaska because of her rebellious nature and the way she is idolised, but I think that the difference with Margo is that there were definite answers by the end of the book. Personally, I found Quentin to be a very endearing protagonist. As this is from first person perspective, I found it easy to empathise with him and I liked the way that he would do anything for his friends yet he was still an intelligent individual. The side characters also helped me to enjoy this novel. I really like Ben and his wittiness and arrogance. I also liked Radar and his back story as I found the black Santa collection quite funny.

The writing, as ever with John Green, was witty, intelligent and humourous, with a dash of seriousness, which kept me hooked. The pacing was really good and I felt that Part 3 with the road trip was especially fast paced but this fit the plot perfectly.

Overall, I would give Paper Towns by John Green 5 out of 5 stars as I really can't fault any of it. I loved the characters and the writing style and the plot was really captivating. 

The Fault In Our Stars - John Green

Title: The Fault In Our Stars

Author: John Green

Publication information: Penguin (2012)

John Green once said in one of his Youtube vlogs that to be a great author was to make a reader "feel all of the things" and this novel definitely does this.

The story follows the main protagonist, Hazel, who has been struggling through cancer for three years, and a boy called Augustus Waters. The story basically follows the development of their relationship and their journey to find out the real ending to Hazel's favourite book, An Imperial Affliction, from fictional author Peter van Houten.

The characters in this novel were phenomenol. Hazel, although I obviously do not know how she is feeling throughout the book, is strangely relateable and Augustus is the best male love interest that I have ever read about. The personalities of all the characters really shine through the writing and their own personal stories evokes a myriad of emotions in the reader as you read about their struggles. Isaac is often said to be people's favourite character in this book but to be honest, I could not get over how perfectly unperfect Hazel and Augustus were as a couple and individually.

The plot was, as always with John Green novels, enchanting, keeping you gripped from the start and wanting more, even through the tears. I think that this novel is by far the best of his works that I have read so far and this is the most emotionally involved I have ever been with a book before. The plot was interesting and kept you reading whole-heartedly through the good and the bad.

The writing, as ever, was amazing. The pacing was perfect, the writing style matched Hazel's bright personality and the tone never contrasted with the story, everything just matched perfectly. This book has a brilliant balance of humour, happiness, romance, despair and grief to keep you hooked, even after the final words.

Overall, I would definitely give The Fault In Our Stars by John Green 5 out of 5 stars. I have never been this affected by a fictional novel before and I am sure that, although most reviews say something similar, I have never been more emotional by the end of a book than I am now with this one. Truly a work of artistic genius by John Green and I just wish more young adult books were written to this standard.

I just thought I'd show as well my copy of this book; the signing more specifically. I found this book in a local Waterstones store and I never expected it to be signed but I got a JScribble and a Hanklerfish so I just had to give it a home! There was also this note in it so I was so happy! 

Overall this is definitely my favourite book of 2012 so far, if not of all time, and I highly recommend it to any reader of any age... this is just a must read.

Chosen - Ted Dekker

Title: Chosen

Author:  Ted Dekker

Publication information: Thomas Nelson (2007)

This was another book that I picked up at the library the other day just because the cover was so intriguing and also the tagline, "think with your heart and prepare to die for you have been chosen" really drew me in. Chosen is the first in the Lost Book series, so the first of four.

"The chosen four are sent on a quest to prove their character, but their mission takes a drawmatic turn when they are intercepted, sworn to secrecy, and redirected to a different endgame. Now they must find the seven lost Books of History. Books that have power over the past, present and future. Books whose words are alive. Books sought by the Dark One that control not only the destiny of their world.....but that of ours as well". 

This just sounded great from the get-go so I was really excited to read it.

The characters in this book were amongst some of the best that I have read about recently. The main protagonist, Johnis, was an interesting character which is always good since he is the main focus of the novel. Without giving too much away about the story, I found Johnis a likeable character that grew on me as the other characters seemed to warm to him. The other three main characters were also very relatable in some ways and even when they were being horrible to Johnis, you as the reader could understand why this was happening. My favourite character ended up being Gabil who was one of the Roush. I just thought that he was a very funny character that lightened up the novel and added a bit of humour.

The plot was also really good! It drew me in from the start and developed at a good pace, not too quickly and not to slow either. However, this was obviously going to be the beginning of a series because of the way it ended, but on reflection, I think that even if you weren't interested or able to read the rest of the series, this would still be a great read with a really interesting and multifaceted plot with great characters.

The writing made this novel really easy and quick to read. With only 260 words in the hardback addition that I read, this isn't a long novel, but the way it reads made it very quick and it flowed well. I read it only in one day! I think that this book has the right amount of description that shows you enough about this world to make it believable and easy to imagine, without taking over from the narrative.

Overall I would definitely give this book 5 out of 5 stars as I think that it would be a great read for people of any age, female or male. I really do love all of the characters and the world that Ted Dekker has created and having not heard about this book before, I was surprised how much I actually enjoyed this. Chosen has the right balance of humour, suspense, action and romance to keep you hooked from the beginning and ends leaving you wanting more.

Gone at Zero Hundred 00:00 by C.R.Hiatt (Excerpt)

Here I have an excerpt from C.R.Hiatt's brilliant novel, Gone at Zero Hundred 00:00.

"I was busy typing in the terms: private clubs, underground clubs and secret societies on my
Blackberry, and reading through the links when something else caught my attention. A black
Hummer with three men inside, drove past me and turned into the alley behind the club, and
parked. A Hummer was a popular vehicle in Sutter Beach because of the military and naval
bases, so it wasn't the car that got my attention. It was the suspicious way the occupants
surveyed the surroundings.
The driver was the first to exit the vehicle. He stood with his back to the car and did a cursory
glance of the area. He was over six-­feet-­tall with a wide-­barreled chest and a thick neck. Once he
made sure the area was cleared, he sent a signal to the front seat passenger. Then, the front-­seat
passenger exited in the same fashion. He searched the area for anything suspicious. At the same
time, his right hand reached inside his jacket and rested on his hip. He was packing heat -­ a gun.
Both men were dressed in black jeans, black leather jackets and black jump boots. When he, too,
concluded the area was clear, he opened the back-seat door. I couldn't help but laugh.
On instinct, I looked around for cameras. This had to be a movie scene. The guy that stepped
out was early twenties, and looked like Angel in a scene from Buffy and the Vampire Slayer. He
was wearing a black leather trench coat -­ it was eighty-­something degrees outside. He had thick-­
black hair, slicked back, not a strand out of place and his skin was perfectly bronzed. It looked
like it was spray-­painted on.
I zoomed in with the camera to get a close up. All three of them walked into the back door of The Devil's Door, looking like they were ready for a shakedown. I pegged the two muscle men as bodyguards. But, who were they protecting? And why did he need protecting? I took a look at
the license plate, and was somewhat surprised to see they were from Mexico. It was about a two-­
hour drive to San Diego, where you could cross the border into Mexico. I wrote down the plate
number, and added the other sports cars to the list. I may not have much information on David Klein, yet, but the guests at the Devil's Door were sure drawing my attention. What the heck kind of club was this place?

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Ash - Malinda Lo

Title: Ash

Author: Malinda Lo

Publication information: Little Brown & Company, 2009

This is a modern fairytale retelling of Cinderella. "With her parents both gone, Ash finds herself a servant in the house of her ruthless stepmother and there seems no hope of finding happiness again. But Ash is unaware of her mother's legacy, and that it will lead her to a magical place. A place where love, identity and belonging are all waiting....". After reading this synopsis on the back of the book in the library I thought that this would be an interesting take on the original story, and since I have never really read a book about fairies I thought that this might be a nice change, however, after reading it, I was very disappointed.

The plot was very slow and boring. I don't like being too negative about books through respect for the author but I found that the plot in Ash dragged a lot and I found it really hard to get through and finish. I found that despite it being just under 300 pages, not a lot happened and everything ended really abruptly, even though all of the plot points were tied up at the end. I quite like the twist of Ash falling in love with a female, but I found that this was predictable from quite early on in the book.

I found the characters quite dull too. Sidhean, the fairy boy, seemed a lot like an Edward Cullen type character, dangerous yet somehow irresistable, which irritated me a lot. I couldn't really connect to Ash very much because I found that I hit a point where I just started getting annoyed with her for making silly mistakes and decisions all the way through this narrative. On the other hand, I did like some of the side characters including Ana and Clara, the two stepsisters. Although these were negative characters, I found that these had the best dialogue throughout. 

One thing that was good about this book was the writing. I think that it suits the teen age range that it is aimed at and tells the story in a readable way but in my opinion the plot let it down.

Overall I would give Ash by Malinda Lo 2 out of 5 stars as I found it difficult to get through and despite the promising premise, it was disappointing. I think this is an example where I am drawn in by a pretty cover and vaguely appealling blurb and the words inside just don't stand up to the plate. This may be more suitable for younger readers though.