COVER REVEAL: SWEET LEGACY

If you have been reading Tera Lynn Child's medusa trilogy, then you will be interested to see the cover reveal for the third book in the series, Sweet Legacy. This series sees teenage descendants of Medusa, triplets Gretchen, Grace and Greer, face their toughest test yet as the mythological and the modern collide in a fast-paced urban fantasy adventure. 

I love the modern feel of these covers, and in particular I love the blue/purple colours of Sweet Legacy. What do you think of the covers?

Book 2 in the series, Sweet Shadows is out this March and Sweet Legacy is publishing in the UK in September 2013. If you are yet to read the first in the series, Sweet Venom, you can read my review here.

And you should definitely check out the fab guest post by Tera Lynn Childs on Gretchen's Top 3 mythical creatures.

You can find Tera on Twitter or on her website.

A - Z OF PEOPLE WATCHING: H IS FOR HOPE

As we celebrate the New Year, lots of us will be thinking of the year to come, what we hope to achieve, and possibly even making New Year's resolutions.

H is for Hope

Sadly lots of people I know in work scorn resolutions as a fad and a waste of time. I completely understand this; sometimes we might want to change something, but just don't have the desire or drive to do it. And this often leads to failure, and in turn to despair. But I always make resolutions. Yes, I really want to succeed and achieve the goals I set myself. But I also don't mind failing, because at least I will have tried.

Most people making resolutions will probably hope to lose weight, see family more often, get a new job or quit smoking. Mine are to grow my nails (not 'stop biting my nails' - as with hope, a resolution should be positive); finish writing a dystopian short story I started a while back; and travel more. Whilst hope is a key concept in lots of fictional writing, and is often a motivating force for change in the key characters, it's not often you read about characters in books wanting to achieve mundane goals like quitting a bad habit. (It's just not that interesting to read about.) But more common themes in YA are new relationships, being accepted by peers, or surviving life threatening situations.

If I thought people might read them all, I would give quotes from lots of books, including Debutantes by Cora Harrison, which is about four young sisters in the 1920s, each hoping and striving to escape their humdrum life and fulfil their career ambitions. Or from Whisper by Chrissie Keighery, which follows 16 year old Demi as she copes with becoming deaf. The whole story is wrapped up in feelings of hope and despair, fear and courage, and the emotional journey Demi goes through, from hopelessness to hope, is completely heart warming and touching.

The book I'm going to quote though is Partials by Dan Wells, because it looks at hope, not just to live, for the whole human race to survive. Set in the future, the human race is near extinction. Even the remaining survivors of a genetically engineered virus, RM, are unable to have babies that live passed a few days. Despite the government's attempts to find a cure, through enforced pregnancy (the Hope Act), there is little to be hopeful about. Yet, Kira wants to fight for the future and go out into unchartered territory to find a Partial so they can create a cure. There is no certainty that anyone will survive, but Kira has hope on her side. And if you don't have hope, what do you have?

"Of course it's worth it," said Kira. "Say that it's stupid, say that it's impossible, but never say that it's not worth it. We know full well that we might not be coming back alive, or successful, and I recognize that, and I wouldn't have suggested it if I wasn't ready to accept it. But Haru is right -- trading any of us, even trading all of us, for the chance to start a new generation of humans is more than worth it. If we can actually pull this off and use a Partial to cure RM, we're not just saving Maddy's baby, we;re saving thousands of babies, maybe millions of babies -- every human baby ever born for the rest of time. We're saving our entire species."

This was one of my favourite books of 2012, and I would definitely recommend reading it!

Do you have any hopes, aspirations or resolutions for the new year?

MY TOP 5 YA BOOKS OF 2012

In order to pick out my 5 favourite reads of this year, I've very strictly had to pick only books that were released this year. Even so, it's been really hard to whittle my list down, as there have been so many good reads, but I've managed to pick one for five different sub genres within YA.

Dystopian - Breathe by Sarah Crossan
Published by Bloomsbury, October 2012

It's been hard to pick a favourite dystopian because this genre has bloomed. But I picked Breathe because the story is completely immersed in a ruined futuristic world which is so easily imaginable it's scary.

The world is dead. The survivors live under the protection of Breathe, the corporation that found a way to manufacture oxygen-rich air.
Alina has been stealing for a long time. She's a little jittery, but not terrified. All she knows is that she's never been caught before. If she's careful, it'll be easy. If she's careful.
Quinn should be worried about Alina and a bit afraid for himself, too, but even though this is dangerous, it's also the most interesting thing to happen to him in ages. It isn't every day that the girl of your dreams asks you to rescue her.
Bea wants to tell him that none of this is fair; they'd planned a trip together, the two of them, and she'd hoped he'd discover her out here, not another girl.
And as they walk into the Outlands with two days' worth of oxygen in their tanks, everything they believe will be shattered. Will they be able to make it back? Will they want to?

You can find my review here.


Paranormal - Everneath by Brodi Ashton
Published by Simon & Schuster, January 2012

As the plot counted down Nicki's remaining time before she is taken back to the underworld, the tension grew and grew. A very gripping story.

Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath. Now she's returned--to her old life, her family, her boyfriend--before she's banished back to the underworld . . . this time forever. She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.
Nikki longs to spend these precious months forgetting the Everneath and trying to reconnect with her boyfriend, Jack, the person most devastated by her disappearance--and the one person she loves more than anything. But there's just one problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who enticed her to the Everneath in the first place, has followed Nikki home. Cole wants to take over the throne in the underworld and is convinced Nikki is the key to making it happen. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back, this time as his queen.
As Nikki's time on the Surface draws to a close and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she is forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole's queen.

You can find my review here.


Science Fiction - Partials by Dan Wells
Published by Harper Collins, February 2012

I loved this book because of the post-apocolyptic setting and the strange partials that Kira is off to hunt. Nothing in this books is what it seems though.

The human race is all but extinct after a war with Partials--engineered organic beings identical to humans--has decimated the population. Reduced to only tens of thousands by RM, a weaponized virus to which only a fraction of humanity is immune, the survivors in North America have huddled together on Long Island while the Partials have mysteriously retreated. The threat of the Partials is still imminent, but, worse, no baby has been born immune to RM in more than a decade. Our time is running out.
Kira, a sixteen-year-old medic-in-training, is on the front lines of this battle, seeing RM ravage the community while mandatory pregnancy laws have pushed what's left of humanity to the brink of civil war, and she's not content to stand by and watch. But as she makes a desperate decision to save the last of her race, she will find that the survival of humans and Partials alike rests in her attempts to uncover the connections between them--connections that humanity has forgotten, or perhaps never even knew were there.

You can find my review here.


Fantasy - Seraphina by Rachel Hartman
Published by Random House Children's Publishers, July 2012

Rachel Hartman's debut features a brilliant fantasy setting and a female protagonist with a secret. Such a great read!

Four decades of peace have done little to ease the mistrust between humans and dragons in the kingdom of Goredd. Folding themselves into human shape, dragons attend court as ambassadors, and lend their rational, mathematical minds to universities as scholars and teachers. As the treaty's anniversary draws near, however, tensions are high.
Seraphina Dombegh has reason to fear both sides. An unusually gifted musician, she joins the court just as a member of the royal family is murdered—in suspiciously draconian fashion. Seraphina is drawn into the investigation, partnering with the captain of the Queen's Guard, the dangerously perceptive Prince Lucian Kiggs. While they begin to uncover hints of a sinister plot to destroy the peace, Seraphina struggles to protect her own secret, the secret behind her musical gift, one so terrible that its discovery could mean her very life.

You can find my review here.


Contemporary - Whisper by Chrissie Keighery
Published by Templar, July 2012

I loved the unique perspective of this book, as it shows how Demi copes with becoming deaf and trying to deal with all the usual teenage issues and communicating with everyone around her.

Fifteen-year-old Demi's world is shattered when she is left profoundly deaf by a sudden illness. Everything is different now, and Demi must learn to adapt to a new school, new friends and even learn a whole new language.

Whisper is a coming-of-age tale, about discovering who you are and where you fit in life. About friendships and first love and, most of all, learning to love the person you are.

You can find my review here.



What have been your favourite books this year?

AUTHOR POST: TERA LYNN CHILDS ON SWEET VENOM

Today I am really excited to have author Tera Lynn Childs joining me on the blog to talk about some of the nasty and smelly mythological creatures her characters face in Tera's urban fantasy Sweet Venom.

Gretchen’s Top Three Mythological Monsters

After four years of hunting down human-thirsty beasts and sending them back to their bleak home, I think I’ve encountered pretty much a one of everything. Some were easier than others but, one way or another, I’ve fought and won every single time. There have been a few close calls, a handful of monsters that I’d rather never see again.

1. Cynocephali – A vicious tribe of dog-headed dudes. Every breed of dog is represented in their numbers, and the labs and collies are more bark than bite. The Dobermans and pit bulls, however, are bite-to-the-death types.

2. Sphinx – While the Egyptian version might be a riddle, the Greek beast with the body of a lion, eagle’s wings, a poisonous serpent for a tail, and the head and torso of a woman is real up front in her intention to kill. No mystery there.

3. Manticore – Big, brawny, and dumb as a pile of hollow rocks, manticores are human and huntress killing machines. Anything with the body of a lion is a tough hunt, but that spike-covered tail is a powerful deadly weapon.

If you see one of these walking down the street—not that you would, but if you did—then find another street. Or, better, find another town.

When I run into these creatures, if I’m not distracted by other problems like diva sisters and missing mentors, I like to use the element of surprise. They can’t smell me coming the way I can pinpoint them, so I put myself in position to sneak up on them or trap them. Then I get my bite in fast and hard, as close to the pulse point as possible. The less time these beasties spent in this realm the better. For all of us.

Thank you so much Tera for taking time to talk about Sweet Venom's Gretchen and the monsters she fights! I love Gretchen's attitude and the way she describes these nasties. If you would like to find out more about Tera Lynn Childs and her book Sweet Venom you can find it here:

Tera's website
Goodreads

Sweet Venom was released earlier this month by Templar Publishing. You can read my review of it here or you can head on over to Amazon to grab yourself a copy.

Tera is also doing a live webchat on Monday 1st October at 7pm (UK time). Just use the password getbitten.

REVIEW: SWEET VENOM

Author: Tera Lynn Childs
Series: Yes, #1
UK Publisher: Templar
UK Release date: September 2012
Genre: YA, Mythology
Kindly given by the publisher for an honest review

Watch out, all you mythological beasties roaming the streets of San Francisco - There's a new kick-ass team of demon-fighters coming your way - Meet Grace, who just moved to San Francisco. Then, there's Gretchen, who is fed up of monsters pulling her out into the small hours, especially on a school night. And Greer, who has her life pretty well put together, thank you very much. But everything tilts sideways when two girls who look eerily like her appear on her doorstep and claim they're all sisters. These three teenage descendants of Medusa must reunite and embrace their fates in this unique paranormal world where monsters lurk in plain sight. (Amazon)

I found Sweet Venom to be a fun and sassy read, and I loved the mythological twist of Greek-style monsters roaming the streets of San Francisco. The monsters were creepy, smelly and each very distinct. Tera Lynn Childs did a great job of recreating snarling beasts, and having been trained to send them back to their world, Gretchen was the perfect, feisty monster hunter. Straight away we were thrown into Gretchen's monster fighting life, giving the story instant pace and action. As Grace and Greer became involved in the foray later on, their attempts at sending the monsters back were a little clumsy and haphazard but it made the story feel more dangerous, as well as humorous.

The story is told from the points of view of three sisters: Grace, Gretchen and Greer. Each girl has a very distinct personality and narrative voice making it easy to distinguish whose POV you were reading. I loved Gretchen's fierce and tough attitude, and Grace's sweet and caring nature. Grace was a pushover but I could relate more easily to her, as she struggled to fit in at a new school. As she gained strength throughout the book I was there cheering her on. Greer, who enters the story much later on, was a bit of a snob who won't accept less than the best. She wasn't easy to like to start, but all of the sisters changed and learnt a little over the story and it made them all more admirable for it.

Lots of things started going wrong for Gretchen, with the plot taking unexpected twists and turns. Her mentor Ursula has disappeared and the rules that means only one monster can be in the human world at a time has changed. Straight away there is a sense of danger, and although Gretchen flounders a little, Grace sees everything in a positive life. There are plenty of questions that need answering and mysteries to solve. Although the story ends on a positive and hopeful note, there was little resolution to any of the plot questions, leaving a lot to be answered in the next books. Whilst I like to resolve some things at the end of every book, I'm still intrigued and excited to find out what happens next.

I think Sweet Venom would really suit a young teen, female audience who would be able to relate to one of the sisters in some way. There's also some subtle morals woven into the story too, about standing up for yourself, being yourself and looking out for family which might hit home more at this age.

Sweet Venom is a sassy action adventure with a fun mythological twist. Perfect for younger teens, this is a great start to the series.

Rating: 4*

REVIEW: WHISPER

Author: Chrissie Keighery
Series: No, standalone
UK Publisher: Templar
UK Release date: July 2012
Genre: YA, contemporary
Kindly given by the publisher for an honest review

Fifteen-year-old Demi's world is shattered when she is left profoundly deaf by a sudden illness. Everything is different now, and Demi must learn to adapt to a new school, new friends and even learn a whole new language. Whisper is a coming-of-age tale, about discovering who you are and where you fit in life. About friendships and first love and, most of all, learning to love the person you are. (Goodreads)

Whisper was very focused on Demi’s personal journey which was really touching and moving, making me empathise with her new situation in life. She struggled to cope with losing her hearing, trying to stay in touch with her old friends, and deal with the insecurities of being deaf. Demi felt pulled in two different directions: trying to maintain a normal life with hearing friends and family, and trying to connect with her new deaf friends who can completely understand her. Being written in first person, it really put me in her shoes and made me feel the frustration she felt when she couldn’t ‘hear’ or lip-read someone or when she couldn’t quite keep up with fast signers.

Stellar is the cool girl at Demi's new deaf school; she is confident and very secure with her identity as a deaf person. She isn’t necessarily easy to sympathise with though because she has such strong views on how ‘hearies’ and deaf people should stick to their own communities and deaf shouldn't make any concessions for hearing people. Her role however is crucial as she gives an insight into a very different life to what I'm personally used to - she has grown up in a completely deaf family, never having to socialise or compromise with hearing people. It was a different type of discrimination to what I had expected, but her opinions were certainly thought provoking.

To contrast against Stellar, Demi’s mum firmly wanted her to maintain as many links with the hearing world as possible. She constantly nagged and tried to show how staying in her ‘normal; school would be better for Demi. These polar opposites played a big part in influencing and shaping Demi’s thoughts but also causing her to question herself, other people and her choices.

In terms of the other characters I loved them all - Keisha was so upbeat; the nephews Harry and Oscar were absolutely adorable; and her perfect sister was a surprise. Each had their own distinct personalities. I would have liked to have seen Ethan in more depth and seen a bit more of him and Demi getting to know each other. But I still liked him and really enjoyed the moments him and Demi shared together.

There were a few incidences and hints of past events played up at the start as big issues, but as we learnt what they were, they didn’t seem that big to me as a hearing person anyway. But I think it is important for the reader to appreciate that something that would seem small to us could be a huge thing for something who can’t hear. Situations can easily become out of control when hearing and non-hearing people aren’t able to communicate and understand each other. For Demi, whose deafness was fairly recent, it is these misunderstandings and conflicts that caused her so much anxiety and anger.

Whisper was really easy and enjoyable to read and I finished it really quickly. Demi's narrative was insightful and the story was a captivating and absolutely fascinating insight into a young girl's life without hearing. I think every school library should have this book and every teenager should read it.

Rating: 5*

REVIEW: FINS ARE FOREVER

Author: Tera Lynn Childs
Series: Yes, #2
UK Publisher: Templar
UK Release date: April 2012
Genre: YA
Kindly given by the publisher for an honest review

Having decided to stay on land with Quince, Lily’s life now revolves around SATs and thinking about college. But when Doe turns up unexpectedly, exiled from the underwater kingdom of Thalassinia, Lily is duty bound to look after her and help change her hatred for humans. With her 18th birthday approaching will Lily cope with also giving up her right as Princess Waterlily to the throne forever?

As the second in the series, Fins are Forever doesn’t disappoint. It’s cute, bubbly and a very quick read. It was also really easy to pick up from the last story without trying to trawl my memory to recall what had happened. Lily and Quince are still together, although their relationship is tested more in this story. For me this is a big bonus, as I hate shallow relationships that focus purely on superficial elements - I want to see how couples deal with real problems. Quince is very sweet, especially when jealous, but he certainly needs a reminder about how good he really is.

Lily is also facing a lot more pressure: the renunciation, SAT’s, deciding what to do about college, and dealing with Doe and Tellin. She’s still funny and personable, but there is so much going on that develops her character as well the plot. I wish I could have seen more of Quince though, as they are such a cute couple and yes, I may have a little fan-crush on Quince.

Like Lily I absolutely didn’t trust Doe. She’s sneaky, conniving and manipulative, and I would not be pleased if I had to look after her. Whilst as a character she is untrustworthy and frustrating, she adds plenty of drama and suspicion to the plot. A little like Prince Tellin – who caused plenty of trouble between Lily and Quince. There were also plenty of twists in the story to keep me thinking and guessing.

As most of the book takes place on land, we only get s few small glimpses at life in Thalassinia. It’s such a magical and colourful setting and so different from the other parts of the story (or other stories) that I want to see more of it. Particularly when certain land dwellers were underwater, I wanted to see how they coped with the change and the new experience. Please give me more of the shimmering rainbow-like land of Thalassinia!

Fins are Forever is a delightfully fun read that will have you wishing you could swim off to the magical underwater land of Thalassinia.

Rating: 4*

IN MY MAILBOX

In My Mailbox was started by the lovely Kristi over at Story Siren - check out her blog for more information on this meme.

This week I only have a few books in my mailbox, but they're so different I really am excited to read them. Do any of these take your fancy or do you have something different on your wishlist?

Glimmer by Phoebe Kitanidis (won on Goodreads)

Fins are Forever by Tera Lynn Childs (kindly given by HarperCollins)

VIII by H.M.Castor (kindly given by Templar)

REVIEW: SWORD OF LIGHT

Sword of Light (Pendragon Legend)
Author: Katherine Roberts
Series: Yes, #1
UK Publisher: Templar
UK Release date: February 2012
Genre: Historical MG
Kindly given by the publisher for an honest review

As the secret daughter of King Arthur and Queen Guinevere, Rhianna Pendragon has been kept hidden in the faery world of Avalon since her birth. But now that Arthur has been defeated by Mordred and his army of Saxon invaders, young Rhianna must come out of hiding to rescue Excalibur, the Sword of Light, and bring her father back to life to regain the throne. In a world of men, Rhianna will need to be brave and bold to find Excalibur before the Saxons or Mordred discover who she is.

Review: Sword of Light has given an old legend a new and interesting twist. Elements of Arthurian legend including the holy grail and excalibur have been incorporated into the four lights - weapons which give ultimate power to any man that holds them all. The story also explores what happens after Arthur's reign, taking the legend further than ever before.

In a time when men fought battles and ruled kingdoms and women were vulnerable damsels, Roberts has created a spirited young female lead. Rhianna is spontaneous, fearless and quick thinking but is often led into trouble with her reckless and adventurous nature. She does however show that not all battles have to be fought with swords, and its not just the men that can stand up, defiant and fight for what is right and good.

Suitable for a young girls and boys alike the story has great characters that would make good role models, particularly young Prince Elphin who is so sweet and always there to help Rhianna. The plot is interesting and captivating with plenty of opportunities for Rhianna to get into a spot of bother and need good friends and some courage to help her win her way out.

Sword of Light is a magical and delightful read that ventures into the medieval world of King Arthur and the legend of the knights of the round table.

Rating: 4*