New Girl by Paige Harbison

They call me 'New Girl'...

Ever since I arrived at exclusive, prestigious Manderly Academy, that's who I am. New girl. Unknown. But not unnoticed — because of her.

Becca Normandy — that’s the name on everyone's lips. The girl whose picture I see everywhere. The girl I can’t compare to. I mean, her going missing is the only reason a spot opened up for me at the academy.
And everyone stares at me like it's my fault.

Except for Max Holloway — the boy whose name shouldn't be spoken. At least, not by me. Everyone thinks of him as Becca's boyfriend ... but she's gone, and here I am, replacing her. I wish it were that easy. Sometimes, when I think of Max, I can imagine how Becca's life was so much better than mine could ever be.

And maybe she's still out there, waiting to take it back.

Release Date 31st January 2012

Know what bugs me about YA books? The blurb never really tells you all that much about the story. This one's not too bad but I've picked some up in the shop before that have had, like, one sentence as the blurb. Like I said, this one's not as bad as that but it still follows that YA rule of thumb where you don't give too much away.

So as far as I can now remember, we don't actually find out who "I" is until the very end of the book. I can't remember reading her name until either the last or 2nd to last page so I'm not going to write it here. I shall call her "I"!

"I" lives in Florida and her parents have managed to get her a place in the prestigious Manderly Academy, a place "I" so badly wanted to go to since she read Harry Potter that her parents have been trying to get her into it since she was 13. "I" doesn't really want to go anymore but she does because she doesn't want to hurt her parents. She doesn't realise she's "replacing" Becca Normandy, the QUEEN of Manderly. She has Becca's old room and room mate - this does not please said room mate. Everyone seems to hate her since she's Becca's "replacement", and it also doesn't help that she has feelings for Becca's ex. Cue High School drama multiplied by 10!

Now I'll admit, it's been a while since I was in Secondary School (it's what we call high school over here) and I never exactly hung out with the "cool" kids but if this book is anything to go by? I'm glad I didn't! These kids are MEAN! They all seem obsessed about Becca and her room mate in particular is convinced she's coming back and constantly tells "I" not to get comfortable. What we find out through Becca's POV chapters is that everything isn't as happy-pretty as people thought. Becca's a bitch with a capital B! But in the classic high school cliche, she has everyone wrapped round her finger.

An excellent read by the author of Here Lies Bridget, Paige Harbison proves to be a talented author who I think will prove popular in the YA market.


Book Depository: New Girl
Amazon UK: New Girl

On A Dark Wing by Jordan Dane

Five years ago, Abbey Chandler cheated Death. She survived a horrific car accident, but her "lucky" break came at the expense of her mother's life and changed everything. After she crossed paths with Death - by taking the hand of an ethereal boy made of clouds and sky - she would never be normal again.

Now she’s the target of Death's ravens and an innocent boy's life is on the line. When Nate Holden - Abbey’s secret crush - starts to climb Alaska's Denali, the Angel of Death stalks him because of her.

And Abbey finds out the hard way that Death never forgets.

Release Date 27th December 2011

Quite an interesting read although I have to say, I was a bit ..... disturbed? ..... by Abbey's obsession with Nate, it bordered on creepy and stalker-ish. It was more than just a teenage crush, or maybe it was just a teenage crush but, since Nate was mentioned or fantasised about every other paragraph, my mind pushed it into obsession.

But the story was good other than that. I liked the take on death, although I didn't see Death as a young boy, I'm kind of hoping that Abbey seen Death as a teenage boy 'cos she's a teenager and that a person would see what they would most relate too. I liked how the story was told from a few different POVs, especially the parts with Abbey and Nate, since it let you see what was happening on both sides of the stories.

Definitely worth a read and a nice change from all the current YA books.


Book Depository: On A Dark Wing
Amazon UK: On a Dark Wing

We have a Winner

The winner of our Rachel McClellan giveaway is Anne Michaud.

Congratulations Anne, on winning Fractured Light and Rachel's "special" prize

This necklace is similar to one that's mentioned in Fractured Light.

Thank you to everyone who entered, and congrats again to Anne for winning.

The Last Slayer by Nadia Lee

Ashera del Cid is a talented demon hunter, but when she kills a demigod's pet dragon, the hunter becomes the hunted. Her only potential ally is Ramiel, a sexy-as-hell demon. Now the two must work together to battle dragons and demigods ... and the chemistry crackling between them.

Ramiel has his own reasons for offering Ashera his protection. He knows her true identity and the real reason the demigods want her dead. What he can't predict is how she'll react when she discovers he knew who she was all along...

Ashera is shocked to discover that she is the only daughter of the last slayer. To claim her destiny, she and Ramiel must join forces to face down danger and outwit their enemies. Only then will she be able to truly accept her legacy...

Release Date 26th December 2011

I really loved this book, the story and characters were very well written. I loved Ashera and Ramiel, I even loved the bad guys. Ashera is an interesting character, although one thing I didn't like was how she was always described as plain or mousy, and I think even ugly at one point. Just because her foster sister was supposed to be super model gorgeous.

But aside from that, I found the story to be very enjoyable and it has dragons .... I love dragons! And I especially love a particular dragon in this called Toshi, he was just so cute, made me want one of my own. I will definitely be looking out for more in this series and the author.


Amazon UK: The Last Slayer

Interview with Rachel McClellan plus a Contest

I’d like to welcome Rachel McClellan to the blog, she’s the author of upcoming YA book, Fractured Light which is due for release on the 7th February 2012, and she’s agreed to come by for an interview.


Julie-Anne: What made you decide to write a YA book?

Rachel: A teenager’s life is a magical thing. Every event is heightened by emotions making for great tension and a lot of fun. I’ve worked with teenagers for years so it felt natural to write a story geared towards them.


JA: You had a big Gaelic background in your book, do you have any Celt in your own heritage?

R: Actually, I do. My grandmother hails from Norway, while the other side of my family came from Ireland. A few years ago I had the opportunity to travel to Ireland and was blown away by the beauty and ambiance of the landscape. I can honestly say that there was something about Ireland that focused me as a writer.


JA: Where did you get the idea of using Light as a power?

R: I’ve always heard of people who are able to see others auras, a light/energy surrounding a person. I thought it would be cool to take this light and energy and turn it into a real power someone could use.


JA: I’m hoping there will be a 2nd book, will we get more of May in there?

R: There will be a book two, FRACTURED TRUTH, tentatively set for release in February 2013. I’m super excited about it because it’s set at an all girls school where everyone has to be fair, nice, non-competitive, etc. On top of dealing with what happened to her at the end of FRACTURED LIGHT, Llona’s going to have some serious issues with Lucent Academy’s rules.
As for May, she’s right there with Llona. BFF’s forever! And in book two May will be developing her own power as a Fury. Fire. Is. Cool. Together, with a few more interesting friends, they’ll uncover a huge plot, that, unless they stop it, will destroy the Aura’s.
(*Happy Dance*) ~ JA


JA: What is your writing style? Do you plan and outline or do you just go for it?

R: Before I begin any story, I always know the ending. I won’t even start typing unless I know how it’s all going to end. But once I know this, I just go for it. I do check my word length every so often to make sure I’m where I need to be and sometimes I’ll loosely outline a few chapters ahead.


JA: I know some authors will make up a playlist before writing a book, are you one of them?

R: Freak, yes, I love music. I have a playlist I listened to all the time when writing Fractured Light. One of these days, I’ll put it up on my blog because it fits the book perfectly.
(I always like seeing an author's playlist) ~ JA


JA: For any aspiring authors out there, what’s your advice on getting published?

R: When people find out I’m published, our conversation goes like this:
“I love to write, too,” they say.
“Really? What do you write?” I say.
“Pretty much everything. I’ve got a couple of short stories and a novel I’ve been working on for awhile. I’d love to get them published.”
“Do you belong to any writing groups?”
“No.”
“Have you taken any writing classes?”
“No.”
“Have you read any books on writing?”
“No.” Pause. “Do I have to do any of those things to be published?”
“Yes!”
An aspiring author must learn all there is to writing and publishing a book. It’s a long, and sometimes lonely, road. It can be discouraging, but once writing gets into your soul, it becomes just as important as breathing.


JA: Who are some of your favourite authors?

R: There are so many, but I really enjoy Dean Koontz, Suzanne Collins, Joshua Gaylord, Ayn Rand, C.S. Lewis, Robert Louis Stevenson, Mary Shelley, James Dashner, and on and on.


JA: Did any particular book or author inspire you to start writing?

R: There’s not a particular book that made me want to start writing, but there are books I’ve studied to help me become a better author. I studied Odd Thomas and The Reapers are the Angels for character development, I studied The Maze Runner and Hunger Games for pacing and tension, and I studied Jekyll and Hyde and The Book Thief for the way they used words to describe feelings, events, objects, etc.
If you have time to read while you’re writing, what are some of your favourite series out just now? The Maze Runner series is a really good one. Of course Hunger Games. I enjoyed the first few books of the Uglies series. And if you’re in it for the long haul, The Outlander Series is also good.
(I've only recently discovered The Hunger Games myself, they're great!) ~ JA



Thanks so much for stopping by and any readers out there, I highly recommend Fractured Light when it comes out.



And now ........... the contest!

The prize is a copy of Fractured Light, when it's released, and a special gift from Rachel herself which I am not going to reveal, but I will tell you it's Fractured Light connected. To win this great prize, just answer the question below, which Rachel has kindly provided for me:

I love Tim Burton movies. Without looking it up (honor code people), how many Tim Burton films can you name?

As Rachel says, please follow the honour code and don't use Google. The winner will NOT be chosen by numbers alone. Just comment below with your answers and remember to leave your e-mail address so I can contact the winner.


Last date to enter is: 7th December

Kiss of Twilight by Loribelle Hunt

Dupree Jackson is everything a senior soldier of the Order of Templar should be. Cold. Unbreakable. A master at arms in the fight against demons. But as a hybrid, Dupree is beginning to lose himself to the demon half of his soul. One woman has the power to save him. If he lets her.

Kara Stone wants two things in life: to be merged with a demon so that she can become a full member of the Order; and Dupree Jackson. She knows they are meant to be together, if only Dupree would love her back.

Though his desire for Kara is undeniable, Dupree's need to protect her is stronger. Not wanting to see her merge, to face the internal struggle he deals with every day, he refuses to bond with her. But when Kara becomes a target and uncovers a dark secret about her past, Dupree may no longer have a choice...

Release Date 26th December 2011

Yet another book that I didn't realise was a sequel, so I now have to go buy the first book in the series since I liked this one so much. The story was very well told and nicely paced and the characters were well written, although there were a lot that got the spotlight.

From what I can gather of the first book and this book, I think I can see what couple is going to be the focus of the 3rd book. I really loved Dupree and Kara, and even though their relationship was written very will-they-won't-they, it wasn't too tedious. I find a lot of books that are written that way can get quite boring, but Kiss of Twilight done it write because even though it was written that way, it was still obvious what was happening so it was easy to hold out.


Amazon UK: Kiss of Twilight

Scarlett Dedd by Cathy Brett

Meet Scarlett Dedd. Scarlett is absolutely mortified (in more ways than one) to discover that she's accidentally killed herself trying to get out of a school trip. Even worse, she's taken her entire family with her! Left in limbo, bored to death, and fearing her friendless state is terminal, an ominous idea pops into Scarlett's head. Can Scarlett really execute her grim plan? Or will it turn out to be a fatal and very messy mistake?

Release Date (according to the Netgalley page) 14th August 2012. But it's actually been out since September 2010 (according to Amazon)

I love the artwork in this and the story is great. The characters are funny, and the book is written in a hodge podge of styles. There are some blog entries from Scarlett's blog, Scar Departed, also some chat room entries from Ghool Kool, which I gather is a chat room for dead people. There's also some proper written story bits and lots of awesome illustrations.

Cathy Brett writes and illustrates the book, and does so in a hilarious manner. Scarlett accidentally kills her family while trying to get out of a school trip, and quickly realises that being dead with no friends is boring. So, rather than try and make new dead friends, she decides to try and make her old friends dead. This book is Scarlett and her friend's tale of everything that happens.

Well worth a read and, as I already said, the artwork is fab.

Doesn't the mum kind of remind you of Violet from the Incredibles? She's one of my favourite Disney Pixar characters.


Book Depository: Scarlett Dedd
Amazon UK: Scarlett Dedd

A Devil Named Desire by Terri Garey

Forbidden fruit is always the sweetest...and no one knows that better than Sammy Divine. Once an angel, now cast down, Sammy's out to prove he's not the only angel who can be led into temptation...

Hope Henderson's sister has disappeared without a trace, and Hope will do anything to find her - even make a deal with the Devil. An ancient text holds the key to unspeakable power, and it's the Archangel Gabriel's job to make sure it stays hidden, even if he has to become mortal to do it. Lives, love, and the fate of the world hang in the balance, as Hope and Gabriel learn that when passion's involved, desire can be a devil that's impossible to control.

Release Date 1st February 2012

Look at that cover, that right there is the type of cover I hate. Half naked, weirdly built man with no face! Aside from that, from what I can gather this is possibly the 2nd (?) in a series from Terri Garey. I'm not entirely sure, there's no mention of it on her website but there is a book called Devil Without A Cause, which has a similar weird cover. Although, that book is listed as coming soon with a release date of May 2011 so I don't think the author keeps that up to date.

I wasn't entirely sure on this book, it took me a while to read it. In fact I put it down at one point and read a couple of other books before I picked it back up again. But I'm glad I picked it back up. Sam and Gabe are well written characters, as is Hope. The story is well told and quite interesting, with a lot of religious factors in there (that's where my attention lags a bit, sorry) to bulk it out. Although there were names even I recognised, like Pandora and Leviathan.

I wonder what it says about me when I like Samael a whole lot more than I like Gabriel. That can't exactly be a good thing, that I'm more drawn to the devil and the bad guy, can it? Either way, whether you like the goody two shoes guys or the bad guys, I think you'll enjoy this book.


Book Depository: A Devil Named Desire
Amazon UK: A Devil Named Desire

Witch Hunt by Nick Chivers

Mike thought he could escape his past. He renounced his crown as High Mage of The Council, had the Bands of Binding placed on him, and tried to start over as a normal human.

It didn’t work. And now a part of that past wants him dead, and Mike is running for his life.

With his best friend, Andrew, and Andrew’s soulbound partner along for the ride, Mike can’t help but feel lonely until he meets Rick, an all-around gorgeous man who might just be the wrong guy — again — especially since Mike can’t shake an ex-lover who’s hoping for a second chance. It’s a lot to deal with as demonic forces pursue him from Mongolia to Brazil, but Mike has to make it to the safety of The Council if he doesn’t want to be the prize trophy at the end of this witch hunt.

I finished this book last night and I still have no idea how I actually feel about it. The story line itself seemed good but it really felt like it could've been padded out a bit more, the explanations for everything came thick and fast in speech and thought and it just made it seem really fake. I know it is fake, but you know what I mean, the story didn't flow because everything was getting explained to you.

I think every character in this book is gay and they all hold up to gay stereotypes, so I was surprised to find that the author was actually gay himself. The characters really felt like they were written by a straight person that didn't know much about gay guys, they were squealy and giggly and constantly running into one another's arms and one guy actually kept carrying another one around, I get the impression it was like a child. Mike, the main guy has every power you can think of, but never fear for if it happens to be a power he doesn't have, one of his friends very handily has it. It all seemed too perfect, there was never really any worry about danger with this group because between them all, they had everything. Have you ever seen that episode of Futurama where Fry writes a comic book in which the super hero has every power imaginable? Yeah, kinda like that.

As I said, the story itself seemed good but I really felt this could have been made into a longer book or split into a couple books. It just seemed too rushed, which is sad because it really could have been a good book.


Book Depository: Witch Hunt
Amazon UK: Witch Hunt

No Rest For The Witches by Karina Cooper

New Seattle is changing. Witches and witch hunters have become allies, and the holy order’s grip on the city is slipping. But they won’t go down without a fight . . .

After the disastrous end to their last mission, Jessie, Silas, and Naomi regroup at their sanctuary far beneath New Seattle. But their brief rest is shattered when Jessie “sees” two of their own attacked topside. Dodging bullets and black magic, they risk it all on a treacherous rescue mission. They’re already stretched to the limit, and danger waits in unexpected corners. If the Order finds them, the team is as good as dead. But they can’t hide forever . . .

I read Before The Witches ages ago and have still not gotten round to reading the first 2 actual books, but that's because I can't find them .... yet. This is another novella set between Lure of the Wicked and All Things Wicked, I believe.

So I know I've missed a huge chunk of story but I saw it on Netgalley and had to grab it. I suppose that poses a problem in itself because it's just a wee novella so there's not a lot I can review on since I don't know the back stories of the characters. I gather they're in Blood of the Wicked and Lure of the Wicked, which I do plan on buying as soon as I can get them in the right format.

I love Karina's writing style and, even though this is only a very short story, she still manages to captivate the reader and it's still an unputdownable book. I am currently desperately trying to get my hands on the 2 books I've missed so I can catch up on the story, and I do realise I've completely spoilered myself.


Book Depository: No Rest For The Witches
Amazon UK: No Rest for the Witches