Title:  Cruel Summer Author:  James Dawson Series:  Standalone Pages:  324 Publisher:  Indigo Date of Publication:  1st August, 2013 Source:  Bought Synopsis from Goodreads: A year after Janey’s suicide, her friends reunite at a remote Spanish villa, desperate to put the past behind them. However, an unwelcome guest arrives claiming to have evidence that Jane was murdered. When she is found floating in the pool, it becomes clear one of them is a killer. Only one thing is for certain, surviving this holiday is going to be murder… A compelling and psychological thriller - with a dash of romance. My Thoughts: I had high hopes for Cruel Summer after reading all the glowing reviews and also after reading and loving James' first novel, Hollow Pike , last year. I am delighted to say that Cruel Summer surpassed those expectations and I think I liked it even better than Hollow Pike . Before reading, I'd heard that the story was told like...

Title:  Zom-B Baby Author:  Darren Shan Series:   Zom-B, #5 Pages:   215 Publisher:  Simon & Schuster Children's Books Date of Publication:  26th September 2013 Source:  For review from publisher Synopsis from Goodreads: B has spent the last few months bunking with the Angels, a group of teens dedicated to eradicating the evil dead from the face of the earth, beginning with the undead roaming the abandoned wreckage that was once London. But the Angels' mission is a bit more complicated than that, and B takes to the streets of a very changed London to decide: is it a mission really to be believed? But instead of answers, B finds a horror beyond imagining. My Thoughts: I think that Zom-B Baby is my favourite so far of the Zom-B series. I was so excited to read it that as soon as it dropped through my letterbox I quickly finished what I was reading so that I could get onto reading this. Sorry it's taken a little while to ...

Hey everybody! Welcome to my wrap-up for October! Here are the books I read this month:       1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (reread) 2. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (reread) 3. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (reread) 4. She Is Not Invisible by Marcus Sedgwick 5. Zom-B Angels by Darren Shan (reread) 6. Zom-B Baby by Darren Shan 7. Fearsome Dreamer by Laure Eve 8. The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell (for school) I started off this month with a reread of The Hunger Games series, as I thought it would be a good idea to reread Catching Fire at least before seeing the film which comes out in THREE WEEKS!! Very exciting indeed. Of course, they were great, just as they were last time I read them :) Then, on 17th October it was my birthday and I received She Is Not Invisible from my parents, and so I read that as quickly as I could and really, really enjoyed it. Then I reread Zom-B Angels so that I could review it...

Title:  Fearsome Dreamer Author:  Laure Eve Series:   Fearsome Dreamer, #1 Pages:   357 Publisher:  Hot Key Books Date of Publication:  3rd October 2013 Source:  From publisher for review* Synopsis from Goodreads: There is a world where gods you’ve never heard of have wound themselves into hearts, and choice has led its history down a different path. This is a world where France made a small, downtrodden island called England part of its vast and bloated empire. There are people here who can cross a thousand miles with their minds. There are rarer people still who can move between continents in the blink of an eye. These people are dangerous. And wanted. Desperately wanted. Apprentice hedgewitch Vela Rue knows that she is destined for more. She knows being whisked off from a dull country life to a city full of mystery and intrigue is meant to be. She knows she has something her government wants, a talent so rare and prec...

Title:  She Is Not Invisible Author:  Marcus Sedgwick Series:   ~ Pages:   354 Publisher:  Indigo Date of Publication:  3rd October 2013 Source:  Birthday gift Synopsis from Goodreads: Laureth Peak's father is a writer. For years he's been trying, and failing, to write a novel about coincidence. His wife thinks he's obsessed, Laureth thinks he's on the verge of a breakdown.He's supposed to be doing research in Austria, so when his notebook shows up in New York, Laureth knows something is wrong. On impulse she steals her mother's credit card and heads for the States, taking her strange little brother Benjamin with her. Reunited with the notebook, they begin to follow clues inside, trying to find their wayward father. Ahead lie challenges and threats, all of which are that much tougher for Laureth than they would be for any other 16-year old. Because Laureth Peak is blind. My Thoughts: Before She Is Not Invisible , I'd never ...

Title:  Zom-B Angels Author:  Darren Shan Series:   Zom-B, #4 Pages:   239 Publisher:  Simon & Schuster Children's Books Date of Publication:  20th June 2013 Source:  Publisher for review* Synopsis from Goodreads: After spending the last few months wandering around London--a city filled with the dead--B Smith has given up hope for any sign of normal human existence. But then B finds strange signs all over the city--a "Z" plus red arrows. Following them, B finds The Angels-- a group gathered in the hopes of combating the evil dead and the forces that introduced them. But all is not as it seems and it's up to B to find out: what battle are they truly waging? My Thoughts: Zom-B Angels is the fourth book of the Zom-B series by Darren Shan. I really like this series, and I look forward to each book dropping through my letterbox every few months (another great thing - it's only every few months, rather than a whole year in b...

Hey everyone! I'll be back with a review in the next couple of days hopefully but today I thought the Top Ten Tuesday topic was fun so I'm taking part! Here are my Top Ten Character Names That I Loved! 1. Cricket Bell . Right, so he's from Lola and the Boy Next Door and at first I hated his name and thought it was stupid - I mean who would think Cricket was a good name? But as the book went on and he got more adorable, the name completely suited him and although I still think it's weird, it kinda fits and I actually really like it! 2. Plutarch Heavensbee . He's from Catching Fire and Mockingjay , and I just think his name is great! I love how there are so many names of Greek (Plutarch) and Latin (Caesar, Seneca) origin in The Hunger Games trilogy, but Plutarch Heavensbee was my favourite, I think. 3. Laureth Peak . I've just finished She Is Not Invisible by Marcus Sedgwick and I laughed at how she was named this. Also her little brother's raven,...

Title:  Vivian Versus the Apocalypse Author: Katie Coyle Series:  ~ Pages:  288 Publisher: Hot Key Books Date of Publication:  5th September, 2013 Source: For review from publisher* Synopsis from Goodreads: A chilling vision of a contemporary USA where the sinister Church of America is destroying lives. Our cynical protagonist, seventeen-­year-­old Vivian Apple, is awaiting the fated 'Rapture' -­ or rather the lack of it. Her evangelical parents have been in the Church's thrall for too long, and she's looking forward to getting them back. Except that when Vivian arrives home the day after the supposed 'Rapture', her parents are gone. All that is left are two holes in the ceiling... Viv is determined to carry on as normal, but when she starts to suspect that her parents might still be alive, she realises she must uncover the truth. Joined by Peter, a boy claiming to know the real whereabouts of the Church, and Edie, a heavily pregnant Believer ...

Title:  Weirdos vs Quimboids  Author:  Natasha Desborough Series:   ~ Pages:   285 Publisher:  Catnip Books Date of Publication: 3rd October 2013 Source:  Event Synopsis: Blossom Uxley-Michaels and Petrina-Ola Olsen, aka Bumface and Poohead are the school Weirdos. Fiona Tittledown and Lucy Perkins are the Winners biggest quimboids and stupidest slangers. All that's set to change when Blossom and Petrina start on the school radio station. Not only do they get to work with the coolest proper real time HOTTEST boys in school, but Blossom has big plans to book some special guest appearances international ROCK GOD JOSH RAVEN . Plus working on the radio is the perfect opportunity to launch their band, Nina and the Norks The Violent Amputees CAMEL TOE! My Thoughts: I was lucky enough to attend the launch party for Weirdos vs Quimboids on Tuesday last week. I didn't know too much about the book before I went, just th...

Hey everyone! How are you all? I'm doing well - I've settled into Sixth Form at school now and am really enjoying it - and also learning to balance school work with reading and blogging, hopefully! Here's what I've been reading this month!       1. Rules of Summer by Joanna Albin 2. Only the Good Spy Young by Ally Carter 3. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde 4. Out of Sight, Out of Time by Ally Carter 5. United We Spy by Ally Carter 6. Model Misfit by Holly Smale 7. Weirdos vs Quimboids by Natasha Desborough As you can probably tell I really loved Ally Carter's Gallagher Girls series, and I read them all in order (ish - I had to read Dorian Gray in between books 4 and 5 for school - boo! and they didn't have them in the library so I had to wait for them).. Anyway, it was as in order as I could get them :P I really loved them and I think the series might be one of my favourites - and I'm thinking I will review it as a serie...

Title:  Model Misfit Author:  Holly Smale Series:   Geek Girl, #2 Pages:   356 Publisher:  HarperCollins' Children's Books Date of Publication:  26th September 2013 Source:  Publishers, via NetGalley Synopsis from Goodreads: “My name is Harriet Manners, and I am still a geek.” Harriet knows that modelling won’t transform you. She knows that being as uniquely odd as a polar bear isn’t necessarily a bad thing (even in a rainforest). And that the average person eats a ton of food a year, though her pregnant stepmother is doing her best to beat this. What Harriet doesn’t know is where she’s going to fit in once the new baby arrives. With summer plans ruined, modelling in Japan seems the perfect chance to get as far away from home as possible. But nothing can prepare Harriet for the craziness of Tokyo, her competitive model flatmates and her errant grandmother’s ‘chaperoning’. Or seeing gorgeous Nick everywhere she goes. Because...

Hey everyone! Sorry I've not been posting much, again... Anyway, today I've got another awesome guest post from Katie Dale to celebrate her new book, Little White Lies ! __________ LITTLE WHITE LIES Gorgeous Christian is a mystery. Why does he dye his hair, clam up whenever Lou asks about his past, and have no family photos? But when Christian’s secret is publicly revealed, Lou finds herself in terrible danger – and keeping secrets of her own… As lie follows lie, nothing is as it seems, and soon Lou finds herself ensnared in a web of deceit, her loyalties torn, her emotions in tatters as she faces a heart-wrenching dilemma: should she shatter the lives of those she holds dearest, or betray the guy who, against all odds, she's fallen in love with? LITTLE WHITE LIES by Katie Dale Published by Simon & Schuster UK August 2013 Website: katiedaleuk.blogspot.com Twitter: @katiedaleuk __________ A lot of things that have happened in my life have somehow ma...

Title:  Phoenix Author:  SF Said Illustrator: Dave McKean Series: Standalone Pages: 496 Publisher:  David Fickling Books Date of Publication: 1st August, 2013 Source:  Publisher* Synopsis from Goodreads: THE SUPERNOVA IS COMING . . . ONE BOY ALONE CAN SAVE THE GALAXY! Lucky thinks he's an ordinary Human boy. But one night, he dreams that the stars are singing - and wakes to find an uncontrollable power rising inside him. Now he's on the run, racing through space, searching for answers. In a galaxy at war, where Humans and Aliens are deadly enemies, the only people who can help him are an Alien starship crew - and an Alien warrior girl, with neon needles in her hair. Together, they must find a way to save the galaxy. For Lucky is not the only one in danger. His destiny and the fate of the universe are connected in the most explosive way . . . My Thoughts: I really enjoyed Phoenix  and I thought it was great. I didn't know too much ...

Guys! I finally read lots of books this month! Hurrah! :D That's a first in a VERY long time. Here's my wrap-up of my bookish month of August!       You should definitely read these books! 1. The Lucy Variations by Sara Zarr 2. Listening for Lucca by Suzanne LaFleur 3. Adorkable by Sarra Manning 4. Butterfly Summer by Anne-Marie Conway 5. The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey ( DNF ) 6. I'd Tell You I Loved You But Then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter 7. Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy by Ally Carter 8. Small Persons with Wings by Ellen Booraem 9. Backward Glass by David Lomax ( DNF ) 10. The Turn of the Screw by Henry James 11. Phoenix by SF Said 12. Don't Judge A Girl By Her Cover by Ally Carter I had two DNFs this month - I've decided that if I'm not really loving it, and I don't really care about the story that much, I'm not going to bother finishing it. There are so many other awesome books out there that I really want t...