You can find out more about In My Mailbox on The Story Siren (where the In My Mailbox meme started inspired by Alea of Pop Culture Junkie).
For Review
Diary Of A Wimpy Vampire By Tim Collins
From the moment I heard of this book (last week) I knew I wanted to read it asap, it just sounded so funny. It’s basically about a vampire named Nigel who isn’t what you might call your typical vampire – he’s 15, he breaks out in acne and he hasn’t inherited any good looks from his (vampire) family – this is his diary! It’s summed up brilliantly by the strapline “because the undead have feelings too”.
Heads or Tails? For most people it’s a simple question with no real or dangerous consequences but Jack is not most people and most people don’t play Jack’s game, or if they do they don’t play it for real. To play for real involves letting the toss of a coin rule the decisions you make regardless of the risks involved.
It’s not his game however but chance that brings him Jess, a beautiful singer who will transform his life, but their luck can’t last forever and during a night of heady recklessness the pair run out of choices and only you (the reader) can determine the outcome, spin a coin – play Jack’s Game and determine, life or death!
Wasted is a book which is so different from anything else I’ve ever read and in a very good way too. It’s told in third person allowing the narrator to explore a wide array of what if scenarios where getting somewhere earlier or later or one innocent decision by a third party can make all the difference in the world especially when you consider all of the knock on events.
I really enjoyed the parts of the book where we see Jack play the game, we get to experience both sides of the coin watching as one path of possible opportunities fade away as the coin decides we will be following another path.
At the end of the book the reader takes an active and very important role, you must play Jack’s game, spin the coin beautifully (or not) – it’s up to you and find out what happens, it really is the difference between life and death adding a real element of risk for the reader. But it’s up to us – we spin the coin and decide the ending.
This review was based on a copy sent by Walker – thank you!
Nicola is currently running a blog dedicated to Wasted (http://www.talkaboutwasted.blogspot.com) which contains extracts, competitions and writing activities which you can try. In addition you can also find information about Nicola currently is on her blog tour and please come back on the 22nd May (this Saturday) when Nicola will be stopping by here.
I can’t believe it’s been just over 2 weeks since I last posted a book trailer (makes a note to myself to post them more often).
The trailer below is for book one of The Unladylike Adventures of Kat Stephenson, A Most Improper Magick and is the first trailer that Stephanie Burgis has had made and I think it’s a good one.
Today I thought it would be a good idea to launch a feature on this blog with the aim of celebrating Young Adult reviewers and the books that they review.
The plan is to each Friday post links to reviews of young adult books from across the young adult blogosphere, I will try and link to different genre’s of books to try and make sure there is something for everyone and hopefully you may find a new book or two and get to check out some more of the fabulous YA book blogs that are out there.
What do you think? Useful, not useful? Next weeks list will be longer – I only decided to put this list together on Wednesday, but next week I’ll be noting down reviews from today!
I found out about Diary Of A Wimpy Vampire this morning from this review over at Jenny’s Wonderous Reads (go check it out) and the summary just made me think this is a book I have got to check out.
The Blurb
“Like Edward Cullen in “Twilight”, Nigel Mullet was transformed into a vampire when he was still a teenager, and will remain this age forever. Unfortunately, Nigel became a vampire at the awkward age of fifteen, and must spend eternity coping with acne, a breaking voice, and an ineptitude with girls . . . In this, his excruciatingly funny diary, Nigel chronicles his increasingly desperate attempts to be noticed by the love of his life, Chloe Sparrow, the constant mortification caused by his vampire parents (not to mention the worry that they might accidentally eat one of his friends), and the frustration one feels when you ve got the whole of boring eternity stretching out in front of you. Fantastically witty and hugely entertaining, it will appeal to any fan of “Twilight” or “Adrian Mole”, teenage or otherwise . . .” Source: Amazon
Diary Of A Wimpy Vampire is officially published by Michael O’Mara Books Ltd on the 20th May 2010 but can get yourself a copy now from Amazon.
You can find out more about In My Mailbox on The Story Siren (where the In My Mailbox meme started inspired by Alea of Pop Culture Junkie).
For Review
Wasted by Nicola Morgan
I found out about Wasted only early this year bit I was immediatley interested in the idea and have been eagerly anticipating reading it and this week it arrived! The story revolves around Jack’s Game, where a coin is tossed and you assign what you do if it’s heads and what you do if it’s tails – whatever the coin says you have to go along with it. The coin brings Jack luck in finding the beautiful singer Jess but luck can run out and it is the reader who must flip the coin and determine the ending … life or death.
Nicola will be here on the 22nd May 2010 as part of her blog tour and you can find out more about Wasted right now with extracts, competitions and extraordinary stories of luck on the Wasted blog.
For My Birthday
“Wicked”: The Grimmerie
I saw Wicked The Musical at the Apollo Victoria theatre in London last year and ever since I haven’t been able to get enough of it and this book in particular has been high on my list of books to get. It’s a book which has been made to look and feel like the Grimmerie, Elphaba’s spell book in Wicked (it’s all padded and textured and everything) and contains loads of full color photos plus full details of how the show went from the original Wizard Of Oz by L. Frank Baum to Wicked: The Life and Times Of The Wicked Witch Of The West by Gregory Maguire and then the musical. It also includes full lyrics to some of the songs and more!
The Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan
I’ve tried to describe this one and it’s such a complex story that I can’t put it into words so … over to Amazon!
“The third book in Robert Jordan’s internationally bestselling epic fantasy series, THE WHEEL OF TIME, now reissued with a stunning new cover design. The Land is One with the Dragon – and the Dragon is One with the Land The Shadow lies across the Pattern of the Age, and the Dark One has turned all his power against the prison that binds him. If it fails he will escape and nothing will stand in the storm that blows then …save the man that was born to battle the darkness: Rand al’ Thor, the Dragon Reborn. But to wage his war Rand must find Callandor, ancient Sword of the Dragon …and the Forsaken will shatter the world to thwart him.” Source Amazon
It’s not a young adult book but the last 2 books in the series were ok – their all just a tad on the long side for me (600+ pages).
Publisher: Hodder Children’s Books (3rd September 2009)
Pages: 410
ISBN: 978-0340-99915-8
Please note this review may contain spoilers from volume 1 (which I will try to avoid but may slip in accidently).
The Vampire Diaries Volume 2 is the follow on from Vampire Diaries Volume 1 and continues to follow Elena, Stefan and Damon and friends as they come up against new evils in Fell’s Church.
In Volume 2 we pick up the story where book 2 left off (literally the same day – this threw me a little initially), Damon and Stefan are still fighting and Elena has woken to find herself with improved senses. Such things need to be put aside however as a new evil has arrived in Fell’s Church which will reunite the trio and seal Elena’s fate.
It feels like returning to an old friend picking up Volume 2 of the Vampire Diaries as the story picks right up right from the very moment you leave it at the end of volume 1. It is for this reason I would highly recommend that you do read volume 1 first as you will find yourself missing key parts of the story not to mention some of the backstory which explains why some of the characters (notably Damon) behave the way that they do.
I was surprised to find I enjoyed volume 2 more than volume 1, I think this was because the book got going straight away with no build up, picking you up at chapter 1 and not letting you go until the end of the book. You really get to know the characters in volume 1 and find yourself caring about what happens to them.
I admit I was having the same problems with this one as I was the first one in that the characters were speaking with the voices and look of those in the TV series so when ever I came across a description describing Elena as a blonde (which isn’t very often) my brain kept thinking no she’s got brown hair but it’s only a minor thing.
It’s a book for anyone who is into vampires and like Twilight mixes the dark pulling power of a vampire with a romantic story but this is not a love story, it’s a story with real danger, adventure and witchcraft that features not only vampires but other beasties that go bump in the night which happens to have a romantic thread running through it.
Basically if you’re enjoying the TV series and enjoy a good vampire story I think you’ll enjoy the book.
This book is book 2 in a series of fantasy / magical books following on from The Demon’s Lexicon.
The Blurb
“Mae Crawford always thought she was in control. Now she’s learned that her little brother Jamie is a magician and Nick, the boy she’d set her heart on, has an even darker secret. Mae’s whole world has spun out of control, and it’s only going to get worse. When she realises that Jamie has been meeting secretly with the new leader of the Obsidian Circle and that Gerald wants him to join the magicians, she’s not sure how to stop Jamie doing just that. Calling in Nick and Alan as reinforcements only leads to a more desperate conflict because Gerald has a plan to bring Nick down – by using Alan to spring a deadly trap. With those around her torn between divided loyalties and Mae herself torn between her feelings for two very different boys, she sees a chance to save them all – but it means approaching the mysterious and dangerous Goblin Market alone…” Source: Amazon
You can find out more about The Demon’s Convenat on Sarah Rees Brennan (the author) website where you can read an excerpt, see reviews, find out more about the world and more.
The Demon’s Convenat is released in the UK by Simon & Schuster Children’s on the 27th May 2010.
This is the first time I’ve run In My Mailbox and I hope to run it reasonably reguarly but it depends on my book buying fund, for those who don’t know – I discovered it via Iffath’s Love Reading X blog only recently, In My Mailbox is basically a meme which many YA book bloggers run to help everyone discover new books to read. (I think that’s the general idea).
You can find out more about In My Mailbox on The Story Siren (where the In My Mailbox meme started inspired by Alea of Pop Culture Junkie).
Hex Hall by Rachel Hawins
I have to admit here I got all excited when I took this out of the Amazon cardboard box, it’s glistening cover is gorgeous (it’s a shame my shockingly bad photography skills don’t really do it justice) with sparkly stars. The story is basically about a sixteen year old girl, Sophie Mercer who after discovering she’s a witch tries out a love spell which lets just say goes a tad, er, wrong! In the way of a punishment she’s shipped off to Hecate “Hex” Hall, a reform school for witchews, shapeshifters and faeries. I’m itching to start it now but I still have a book to finish first!
My So-Called Afterlife by Tamsyn Murray
When I first laid eyes on this book and read the sample chapter on Tamsyn’s website I knew I just had to order it, I just couldn’t stop laughing through the whole of the first chapter! It’s about Lucy, a fifteen year old girl who ever since she was murdered has been stuck in the gents loos (and that was 6 months ago). In all that time she’s been unable to talk to anyone until Jeremy. But it’s just Lucy’s luck he’s a seriously uncool geography teacher type but he is determined to help.
Welcome to Books 4 Teens, a blog about, well books for teens. It contains a mixture of news reviews and interviews run be me, Jesse, a 26 year old YA book adorer.
I found out about Diary Of A Wimpy Vampire this morning from 
This book is book 2 in a series of fantasy / magical books following on from The Demon’s Lexicon.
