Cover Love: Remembrance

It's finally here! After all the waiting, the cover for Meg Cabot's new Mediator book, Remembrance, is officially out there!

What did you guys think?

Remembrance is scheduled for a 2016 release.

Shameless Self-Promotion, some news... mostly just to say I'm alive!

Hello and Happy September!

Hope you're warm and cuddly in your four-poster beds at Hogwarts, and that your first day of lessons yesterday went well.

This year has just flown by; I've been incredibly busy, and sadly, that's reflected on the blog. I know there have been less reviews and posts than I'd like, but I've been scrambling to keep up with all the changes going on. Since last year, I started and finished my first year at university (with really good grades, woo!), had two internships in publishing that went (if I say so myself) really well, got a job at YA Interrobang, moved house, and still tried to fit in reading books somewhere in there.

I didn't always manage to read those books, and, weirdly enough, now that holidays are nearly over, things should get back to normal. Having a schedule for uni really helps make sure things run smoothly in other parts of life.


Also: I have one review on backlog, that will go up later today and have started Queen of Shadows (no spoilers!!), so that should go up, hopefully early next week, as I plan on doing little else over the weekend... wish me luck ;)

Happy Halloween

To celebrate the day, I've compiled a list of some of my 10 favourite supernatural fictional people - most of whom are also creatures that go bump in the night, and that would love to be out and about on Halloween!

1. Selene from the Underworld movies. Topping off the list is one incredible lady which, sadly, will not be returning to the next movies. Still, she was one badass vampire, and took no crap from anyone; I wouldn't want to be on her bad side, that's for sure! She's definitely more likely to kill first, and ask questions later.

2. Second on the list of awesome Halloween-ish creatures, is one dhampir that holds a very dear place in my heart. This Russian God, as he's known throughout his world, goes by the name of Dimitri Belikov, and to quote Rose, 'alive or undead... [he] was a badass'. Couldn't have said it better myself, Rose! Dimitri gets to be on here, even though a dhampir isn't technically so terrifying, because he spent a book and a half as an undead, evil vampire whose sole mission was to enslave all of humanity, with Rose by his side as his Queen of Darkness. Deliciously horrible. I even sometimes miss what me and my friends call Strigmitri, his soulless vampire side!

3. How to follow up from Dimka, right? Well, this is another incredible lady who, even though most people will say they hate her - because she's a psychotic maniac, and you're supposed to hate those people! - the entire fandom actually loves to hate, and I know it. It is, of course, the terrifying Bellatrix Lestrange. In all fairness, much as I love what her character represents, and I absolutely adore the way Helena Bonham-Carter portrays her, I'd be more scared if I bumped into her in a deserted alley than if I did with Voldemort. Dis bitch be crazy...

4. Next is another vampire - they seem quite popular these days haha! - and one that I have loved for all the wrong reasons for way too many years. I fell in love with the bad Salvatore in the books, and of course Ian Somerhalder playing Damon did nothing to diminish my love (on the contrary, in fact). Still, despite his tortured soul and deep-down good heart, you don't want to run across him on a night he's had a fight with Elena...

5. Moving away from the vampires now, let's talk witches again. She's a classic because she was Merlin's nemesis. Beautifully portrayed by Katie McGrath in BBC's Merlin, Morgana Pendragon started out like a lovely, sweet and innocent girl in a court where magic was seen as treason (I still can't look at Giles in Buffy without hearing the echoes of 'SORCERY!' in my head. Uther really needed a chill pill. Or twenty). But she found her magic, turned bad, and by the end of the series, was almost as powerful as Merlin himself. And yes, she does look lovely in a crown.

6. Another good girl-gone-bad situation with magic and a crown involved, comes in the form of the stunning Lana Parrilla, playing the Evil Queen (yes, the one from Snow White), in today's world known as Regina Mills, the tyrannical mayor of the little town of Storybrooke, Maine. Another case of really unfortunate parenting, Regina sets loose a curse that ends all happy endings and brings all fairy tale characters to the human world. She's another lady you don't want to catch on a bad day; and never, ever accept an apple from her, not even if she slips it into your trick or treat bowls! NO APPLES!


7. Moving on to the traditional Halloween costume, we find Helena Ravenclaw, more commonly known as The Grey Lady. The ghost of Ravenclaw House, she's a tad short-tempred, as Harry found out the hard way in Deathly Hallows, but hers is another sad story - and one worthy of Halloween: she was the daughter of Rowena Ravenclaw, but stole her mother's
magical diadem, hoping it would make her smarter. On her deathbed, Rowena sent for her daughter. The man who went searching for Helena, was a Baron (aka The Bloody Baron, the ghost of Slytherin House. Must make for awkward meals!) who harboured amorous feelings towards Helena. Enraged, he killed her when she refused to return with him to her mother, then proceeded to kill himself in despair at what he had done. Hence the blood all over him... That's a tale and a half!

8. Next is one devilishly clever and dangerous imp. We all know him - he's even been in Shrek, for crying out loud! He is, of course, Rumplestilstkin. I'm looking at that name and hoping I spelt it right. It's easier to say than to spell, honestly. But this little guy (or not so little, depending on which version we're talking about!) is not to be trifled with. If you don't avoid any of the others in this list, maybe consider keeping away from him - he'll have you signing away your firstborn before you even know what's going on.

9. Our favourite DADA teacher makes this list because of his... ah... extracurricular activities. By which I mean, of course, he makes a habit of turning into a giant stinking wolf every month. Luckily, Lupin is one of the few people on this list that are on the good side. Still, don't stick around to chat if he's in his wolf form - he won't recognise you, and neither will anyone else once he's done with you!

10. This one actually didn't make it into the movies, but he's my favourite ghost ever, and I think cutting him out was a complete travesty. Especially since they actually did film some scenes with him - the image is one of the few actual footage pictures we have of Peeves the Poltergeist, from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. From water bombs on terrified first-years, to chasing Umbridge out of the castle to the sound of hooves, Peeves, in my opinion, truly embodies the spirit of Halloween of having some spooky fun.



Now I'm going to curl on up on my bed and watch The Corpse Bride, followed by The Nightmare Before Christmas (both because it's about Halloween, but also because it's also about Christmas, so what's not to love?), to get into the mood for some Christmassy fun!

The Immortal Crown

Title: The Immortal Crown (Age of X #2)
Author: Richelle Mead
Genre: adult (language), dystopia
Rating: 10/10
Cover: 5/5


Warning: this post contains spoilers. Proceed with caution.

JADFJEBCKJNFKJGHVIUSDHVBFD THAT ENDING! WHAT! *bangs head on desk* dammit, Richelle, you've done it AGAIN.

I'm actually glad I read it on my kindle, because it meant I could go easily check that name, and oh my god. To those of you who didn't have that ease, Porfirio was Mae's ex, the one who tried to rape her when she broke up with up him. I mean, honestly, no pun intended, but OH MY GOD.
She should ship him off to Arcadia and drop a nuclear bomb on all those misogynist pigs. Aimed directly at his head. I mean. OH MY GOD.
But also... Loki! Now I'll forever picture her god as Tom Hiddleston, and I'm not even sorry.
I just... so many motions about this book. I'd forgotten how good a Mead book could be, because the Bloodlines books don't really hold up to the same standard, but ooooh my. I kind of need book 3 right now, but at the same time, I know, I just know that it's gonna hurt. Damn the woman and her #3s.

But, ahem, right. The review.

Astounding, as per usual. Even though you will want to rush ahead and skip Tessa's chapters, stick with the girl, because it all ties together at the end. Plus, Ms Mead is an excellent storyteller, and the slower chapters away from Justin and Mae just help to amp up the excitement and anxiety about what they're doing even more.
As for those two themselves, what can I say? Richelle has a way with characters, making them so fully dimensional, it feels like they're in the room with you. And this is no different, even with the impediment of third person. It was fascinating to see Mae's journey and her development from a stone-faced praetorian to a woman who not only opened up her heart (finally), but also actually showed a deep, caring side of her with the children that I honestly didn't expect from Mae.
Justin... what can I say? He reminds me of Dorian, damnit. Always quick to protect the woman he loves, acting first and asking later, he's another one of her male leads that stole a piece of my heart. At this rate, I'd better hope she doesn't write any new series, or there'll be nothing left, what with all of her characters already vying for attention.
But, arguably the best part of the book was the open damnation of Arcadia. I know the element presented in the book is 100x worse than what we live with every day, but still so much of that is relevant to society today, with women being blamed for "enticing" men to rape them. I felt like the stand was clearly towards a more positive, equal society, where, as someone puts in the book, people realise that the problem isn't with the girls, but with the men who are brought up with a sense of entitlement that they think gives them the right to do as they please with no consequences. Oh, I so wanted Mae to smack some of those assholes around a little.

Book Review: Shine

Title: Shine (Shade #3)
Author: Jerri Smith-Ready
Genre: YA paranormal
Rating: 5/5
Cover 8/10


Shine... The end to one of the best love triangles I've read in a long time. Mind you, in all honesty, the triangle ended in Shift, I guess. But that's beside the point. 

Shine starts exactly where Shift left off: Aura is in the cemetery, by Logan's grave, waiting for Zachary's flight - the one that will take him back to Scotland, and away from her - to take off. When news that the flight exploded mid-air a half hour after it left the US, Aura gets lost in a spiral of despair, until a text message from Zach tells her that he is alive... but for how much longer? 

With the DMP and the MI-X breathing down her neck, and Zach kept in custody for suspected involvement in the bombing, everything goes to hell when a fan of Logan's who was on the plane comes back as a ghost, and reports having seen Zachary and Logan talking, right before the flight was supposed to take off. Zach, a pre-Shifter, who shouldn't be able to see ghosts. With ghostly involvement suspected behind the planting of the bomb, US police release Zach... and hand him over to the DMP. Now desperate, Aura will do anything to make sure her new boyfriend doesn't end up like her ex: dead.

But what will be the price to save Zach? Is she willing to spy on her own country to save his sanity, and most likely, his life?

I have to comment on this one scene of the book, and I warn you now: there are spoilers you probably don't want to know below this, so if you haven't read the book, go take a breather, grab something to eat and finish (or start, I guess) Shine. You've been warned.

If I ever meet Ms. Smith-Ready, I'd like to give her a huge congratulations and maybe even some cookies. Like I stated up at the top, this book is YA. Like we all know, young adults have sex. Heavy make-out sessions are common in YA; we even expect it most of the time. But I just loved the way Ms. Smith-Ready wrote down the actual sex. In most YA books, you have the generic movie setting: making out, heading towards the bed, then only return after the deed. Not here. Oh, but it was so skilfully done. You have none of the details you'd get in an adult book, but enough to make sure you know what's happening, and enough to show the enormous bond between the two. If she'd just skipped over the sex, it probably would feel like something was missing in the book. This way, she managed to put it in there, subtly, but there enough that none of the emotions were missed, and subtle enough to make sure that the book never, not even for one second, veered from the YA range. I honestly hope more YA authors take this example; maybe we'll see more heartwarming moments without all the explicitness of an adult book. Virtual cookies to Ms. Smith-Ready for that one.