Title:  The Diabolic Author:  S.J. Kincaid Series:   The Diabolic, #1 Pages:   403 Publisher:  Simon and Schuster Children's Books Date of Publication:  1st November, 2016 Source:  For review from publisher* Synopsis from Goodreads: Nemesis is a Diabolic. Created to protect a galactic Senator's daughter, Sidonia. The girl who has grown up by her side and who is as much as sister as a master. There's no one Nemesis wouldn't kill to keep her safe. But when the power-mad Emperor summons Sidonia to the galactic court as a hostage, there is only one way for Nemesis to protect Sidonia. She must become her. Now one of the galaxy's most dangerous weapons is masquerading in a world of corruption and Nemesis has to hide her true abilities or risk everything. As the Empire begins to fracture and rebellion looms closer, Nemesis learns that there is something stronger than her deadly force: the one thing she's been told she doesn't have - h...

Title:  Take Two Author:  Perdita and Honor Cargill Series:   Waiting For Callback, #2 Pages:   344 Publisher:  Simon and Schuster Date of Publication:  26th January, 2017 Source:  Sent by author* Synopsis from Goodreads: Elektra has finally landed a part in a film. It's the dream. Well ...until she works out that Straker is a movie so dystopian that within weeks most of the cast and all of the crew wish that the world had actually ended (preferably in scene one). And while it's obviously great news that she's moved from the friend-zone with Archie to become his almost-girlfriend, it would be better if he hadn't immediately relocated to Transylvania to play a vampire hunter surrounded by 'maidens of peerless beauty'. Full of humour and warmth, this new series is perfect for fans of Geek Girl and The It Girl. My Thoughts: I loved Casting Queen when I first read it last year, so I couldn't wait to get started with Take Two . ...

Title:  Casting Queen Author:  Perdita and Honor Cargill Series:   Waiting For Callback, #1 Pages:  346 Publisher:  Simon and Schuster Children's Books Date of Publication:  28th January, 2016 Source:  Publisher for review* Synopsis from Goodreads: When Elektra is discovered by an acting agent, she imagines Oscar glory can't be far away, but instead lurches from one cringe-worthy moment to the next! Just how many times can you be rejected for the part of 'Dead Girl Number Three' without losing hope? And who knew that actors were actually supposed to be multi-lingual, play seven instruments and be trained in a variety of circus skills? Off-stage things aren't going well either - she's fallen out with her best friend, remains firmly in the friend-zone with her crush and her parents are driving her crazy. One way or another, Elektra's life is now spent waiting for the phone to ring - waiting for callback. Can an average girl-next-door ...

Title:  Night Owls Author:  Jenn Bennett Series:   n/a Pages:   272 Publisher:  Simon and Schuster Date of Publication:  13th August, 2015 Source:  Publisher for review* Synopsis from Goodreads: Feeling alive is always worth the risk. Meeting Jack on the Owl—San Francisco's night bus—turns Beatrix's world upside down. Jack is charming, wildly attractive...and possibly one of San Francisco's most notorious graffiti artists. But Jack is hiding a piece of himself. On midnight rides and city rooftops, Beatrix begins to see who this enigmatic boy really is. My Thoughts: I didn't really know anything about Night Owls when it dropped through my letterbox, but after a few weeks when reviewers had started to read it, I began to see it everywhere. I'd seen comparisons to Graffiti Moon which I actually didn't enjoy that much so I was slightly apprehensive, but I'm happy to tell you guys that I really enjoyed Night Owls . It portrays be...

Title:  Belzhar Author:  Meg Wolitzer Series:   n/a Pages: 266 Publisher:  Simon and Schuster Children's Date of Publication: 1st October, 2014 Source:  Publisher for review* Synopsis from Goodreads: If life were fair, Jam Gallahue would still be at home in New Jersey with her sweet British boyfriend, Reeve Maxfield. She’d be watching old comedy sketches with him. She’d be kissing him in the library stacks. She certainly wouldn’t be at The Wooden Barn, a therapeutic boarding school in rural Vermont, living with a weird roommate, and signed up for an exclusive, mysterious class called Special Topics in English. But life isn’t fair, and Reeve Maxfield is dead. Until a journal-writing assignment leads Jam to Belzhar, where the untainted past is restored, and Jam can feel Reeve’s arms around her once again. But there are hidden truths on Jam’s path to reclaim her loss. My thoughts: When I got back from holiday and found Belzhar waiting f...

Hello! Today I have a great guest post from Sarah Alderson telling us all about her favourite things, as part of the blog tour for  Out of Control , Sarah's her latest novel for young adults. The book's out now and I'm halfway through - I definitely recommend that you pick it up. I hope you enjoy the guest post! __________ My favourite things… Favourite City… New York! Where Out of Control is set. I love the food, the energy, the fashion, the characters, the smell. I love the village and I love Brooklyn. I love how many nationalities there are there and how intense it is. Favourite book… this changes all the time. This year it would have to be The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. I adored it. Also Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor. She always blows me away with her writing. Favourite TV show… Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It’s so brilliantly written. I just adored it. It was also one of the first shows to depict a really awesome female protagonist who knew ho...

Title:  The Accidental Life of Jessie Jefferson Author:  Paige Toon Series:   Jessie Jefferson, #1 Pages:   336 Publisher:  Simon and Schuster Children's Books Date of Publication:  30th January, 2014 Source:  For review from publisher* Synopsis from Goodreads: My fifteenth birthday was the worst day of my life, and it's inconceivable to think that any single day in my future will ever be as bad. My mum was killed in a freak accident on her way to pick up my cake. Even when there was still no sign of her after two hours later, and my friends started to arrive at our house, it never occurred to me that she wouldn't be coming back. That was six months ago. My mum died without telling me who my real dad was. And for a while I hated her for it. I thought she's taken the secret of my father's identity with her forever. But she didn't. Holy hell, she didn't. Because three weeks ago I found out the truth. And I'm still reeling from the s...

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 ...

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! Today I have an excerpt from Spy Society by Robin Benway for you to read, which is publishing tomorrow by Simon and Schuster in the UK. Hope you enjoy! It's a really great book. __________ Being a 16-year-old safecracker and active-duty daughter of international spies has its moments, good and bad. Pros: Seeing the world one crime-solving adventure at a time. Having parents with super cool jobs. Cons: Never staying in one place long enough to have friends or a boyfriend. But for Maggie Silver, the biggest perk of all has been avoiding high school and the accompanying cliques, bad lunches, and frustratingly simple locker combinations. Then Maggie and her parents are sent to New York for her first solo assignment, and all of that changes. She'll need to attend a private school, avoid the temptation to hack the school's security system, and befriend one aggravatingly cute Jesse Oliver to gain the essential information she needs to crack the case . . . al...

Title:  Spy Society Author:  Robin Benway Series:   Also Known As, #1 Pages:   320 Publisher:  Simon & Schuster Children's Books Date of Publication:  18th July 2013 Source:  Publisher* Synopsis from Goodreads: Being a 16-year-old safecracker and active-duty daughter of international spies has its moments, good and bad. Pros: Seeing the world one crime-solving adventure at a time. Having parents with super cool jobs. Cons: Never staying in one place long enough to have friends or a boyfriend. But for Maggie Silver, the biggest perk of all has been avoiding high school and the accompanying cliques, bad lunches, and frustratingly simple locker combinations. Then Maggie and her parents are sent to New York for her first solo assignment, and all of that changes. She'll need to attend a private school, avoid the temptation to hack the school's security system, and befriend one aggravatingly cute Jesse Oliver to gain the essential ...

Title:  Zom-B City Author:  Darren Shan Series:   Zom-B, #3 Pages:   224 Publisher:  Simon and Schuster Children's Date of Publication:  14th March 2013 Source:  Publisher* Synopsis from Goodreads: How many survived the zombie apocalypse?Where do the living hide in a city of the dead? Who controls the streets of London? B Smith is setting out to explore... My Thoughts: Just as the second improved on the first, this book, Zom-B City (book three) improved yet again. It was my favourite of the three so far and I'm very much looking forward to carrying on with B's story. This book takes place after B has broken out into open air after being kept underground with the other zom heads in book two,  Zom-b Underground . As she wanders around London, it was really great to read about so many familiar places, places I've visited so many times. It just made the story even more vivid for me, to be able to really follow B ...

Hello! Today I have an awesome blog post from the author of The Hanged Man Rises , Sarah Naughton, talking about ghosts! Do you believe in ghosts, and can you still be scared of things you don't believe in? __________ When their parents are killed in a fire, Titus Adams and his little sister Hannah are left to fend for themselves in the cruel and squalid slums of Victorian London. Taking shelter with his friend and saviour, Inspector Pilbury, Titus should feel safe. But though the inspector has just caught and hung a notorious child-murderer, the murders haven't stopped. Now everyone is a suspect, even the inspector himself, and unless Titus can find a way to end the killings, he will lose all that is dear to him. For this evil cannot be contained, even by death. __________ The Hanged Man Rises is my first book and it’s about two of my favourite things: London and ghosts.  London’s an old city and it has a lot of ghosts: you’re walking their streets, trav...

Title:  The Hanged Man Rises Author:  Sarah Naughton Series: Standalone Pages: 234 Publisher: Simon and Schuster Children's Books Date of Publication: 28th February 2013 Source: Publisher* Synopsis from Goodreads: When their parents are killed in a fire, Titus Adams and his little sister Hannah are left to fend for themselves in the cruel and squalid slums of Victorian London. Taking shelter with his friend and saviour, Inspector Pilbury, Titus should feel safe. But though the inspector has just caught and hung a notorious child-murderer, the murders haven't stopped. Now everyone is a suspect, even the inspector himself, and unless Titus can find a way to end the killings, he will lose all that is dear to him. For this evil cannot be contained, even by death. My Thoughts: I haven't read a historical book for a while, so I was really excited to get started with The Hanged Man Rises , and it was great to read something different. It was a quick, fun read ...

Title:  Zom-B Underground  Author:  Darren Shan Series:  Zom-B, #2 Pages:  203 Publisher:  Simon & Schuster Children's Date of Publication:  3rd January 2012 Source:  Publisher* Synopsis from Goodreads: Waking up in a military complex, months after zombies attacked school, B has no memory of the last few months. Life in the UK has turned tough since the outbreak, and B is woven into life- and battle- in the new military regime quickly. But as B learns more about the zombies held in the complex and the scientists keeping them captive, unease settles in. Why exactly was B saved? And is there anyone left in the world to trust? DO NOT READ THIS REVIEW IF YOU'VE NOT READ THE FIRST BOOK, Zom-B , AND DO NOT WANT TO BE SPOILED. My Thoughts: Having read Zom-B and found it to just be okay, I wasn't sure what I was going to think of the sequel, Zom-B Underground . To be honest, I picked it up to read because it was the shortest book in m...

Title:  Paper Valentine Author: Brenna Yovanoff Series:   Standalone Pages:  304 Publisher:  Simon and Schuster Children's Books Date of Publication:  3rd January 2013 Source:  Publisher* Synopsis from Goodreads:  The city of Ludlow is gripped by the hottest July on record. The asphalt is melting, the birds are dying, petty crime is on the rise, and someone in Hannah Wagnor's peaceful suburban community is killing girls. For Hannah, the summer is a complicated one. Her best friend Lillian died six months ago, and Hannah just wants her life to go back to normal. But how can things be normal when Lillian's ghost is haunting her bedroom, pushing her to investigate the mysterious string of murders? Hannah's just trying to understand why her friend self-destructed, and where she fits now that Lillian isn't there to save her a place among the social elite. And she must stop thinking about Finny Boone, the big, enigmatic delinquent whose main hobb...

Title:  Finale  Author:  Becca Fitzpatrick Series:  Hush, Hush #4 Pages: 454 Publisher:  Simon & Schuster Children's Books Date of Publication:  25th October 2012 Source:  Publisher* Synopsis from Goodreads: Will love conquer all? Nora and Patch thought their troubles were behind them. Hank is gone and they should be able to put his ugly vendetta to rest. But in Hank's absence, Nora has become the unwitting head of the Nephilim and must finish what Hank began. Which ultimately means destroying the fallen angels - destroying Patch. Nora will never let that happen, so she and Patch make a plan: lead everyone to believe they have broken up, and work the system from the inside. Nora will convince the Nephilim that they are making a mistake in fighting the fallen angels, and Patch will find out everything he can from the opposing side. They will end this war before it can even begin. But the best-laid plans often go awry. Nora is put t...

Title:  The Perks of Being a Wallflower  Author:  Stephen Chbosky Series:  Standalone Pages:  213 Publisher:  Simon and Schuster Date of Publication:  30th August 2012 (reprint) Source:  Publisher* Synopsis from Goodreads: The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a story about what it’s like to travel that strange course through the uncharted territory of high school. the world of first dates, family dramas, and new friends. of sex, drugs, and the rocky horror picture show. of those wild and poignant roller-coaster days known as growing up. My Thoughts: So many people have been telling me to read Perks for about a year now, and with the movie coming up soon, I thought it was finally time. I mean, it looked quite good, and you have to read the book before the film, right?! Anyway, I decided I would read it on holiday when I had nothing else to do so I could read it all at once, and as it's really not very long this was pretty easy. While...

Title:  Unspoken Author:  Sarah Rees Brennan Series:  The Lynburn Legacy, #1 Pages:  370 Publisher:  Simon & Schuster Children's Date of Publication:  27th September 2012 Source:  Publisher* Synopsis from Goodreads: Kami Glass loves someone she’s never met . . . a boy she’s talked to in her head ever since she was born. She wasn’t silent about her imaginary friend during her childhood, and is thus a bit of an outsider in her sleepy English town of Sorry-in-the-Vale. Still, Kami hasn’t suffered too much from not fitting in. She has a best friend, runs the school newspaper, and is only occasionally caught talking to herself. Her life is in order, just the way she likes it, despite the voice in her head. But all that changes when the Lynburns return. The Lynburn family has owned the spectacular and sinister manor that overlooks Sorry-in-the-Vale for centuries. The mysterious twin sisters who abandoned their ancestral home a generation ...