Author: Stephanie Meyer

Publisher: ATOM; Film tie-in edition edition (27th Oct 2009)

Pages: 497

ISBN: 978-1-905654-61-1

New Moon is the second book in the Twilight Saga (as if you didn’t know that) and picks up not long after Twilight finishes, it combines romance, suspense and of course the supernatural.

If that doesn’t tell you anything about the book, you’re not the only one. For me it’s hard to describe without giving anything away, even though I’m probably the last one to know what happens – this review may unintentionally contain spoilers, sorry!.

It starts on Bella’s Birthday where something happens which throws everything we were waiting for in book one out of the window leaving Bella and Edward seperated for most of the book – which to be honest I wasn’t too happy with. This results in Bella being quite unhappy for the first half of the book, taking comfort in her childhood friend Jacob Black who we met briefly in Twilight.

I’m pleased that we see more of Jacob this time around, considering they’ve known each other since they were young (admittedly just in the holidays) but it seems right that he was made into one of the main characters in this book. I enjoyed seeing their relationship build as Bella tried to move on after Edward, even though Jacob was after more than Bella could possibly give.

Aside from the knowing feeling that something was coming (and kind of knowing what it was) the book felt after chapter one more like a solid romance book, sure their were hints as to what was coming but these were more subtle than I think they could have been. That being said though when the thing I was waiting for happened everything picked up, the action became much more fast paced and the tensions rose gripping me much more tightly to the end.

All leading to a scene about 50 pages from the end which was horrific for the people involved which really showed what Vampires could be capable of and shows the Cullens in an ever greater light.

All in all I enjoyed New Moon, just not quite as much as I wanted to. I was looking forward to a supernatural romance which I got – it just came a tad too late. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy the first half, it just wasn’t what I was expecting.

I guess this just leaves me to say one thing, Team Edward of Team Jacob? After New Moon I have to go with Team Edward – which team are you on?

Each Friday Book Reviews This Week takes a look at reviews published in the Young Adult book blogosphere to help us all find great new (or rediscover older) young adult books and while were at it celebrate the work of all the young adult book bloggers out there

Here’s a selection from this week (ordered alphabetically by title).

Cherry Crush by Cathy Cassidy – reviewed by Amber at The Mile Long Bookshelf

Classic by Cecily von Ziegesar – reviewed by Daria at Chicklish

Fade by Lisa McMann – reviewed by The Bookette

Forest Born by Shannon Hale – reviewed by Georgia K at Chicklish

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins – reviewed by Karen at Teenage Fiction For All Ages

Kiss It by Erin Downing – reviewed by Kristi, The Story Siren

My Rocky Romance Diary by Liz Rettig – reviewed by Jenny at Wondrous Reads

Posse by Kate Welshman – reviewed by Lauren at I Was A Teenage Book Geek

Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce – reviewed by Kristi, The Story Siren

Star Crossed by Jo Cotterill – reviewed by The Bookette

Tall Story by Candy Gourlay – reviewed by Mel at Chicklish

The Runaway Troll by Matt Haig – reviewed by Sophie at So Many Books, So Little Time

The Alchemyst by Michael Scott – reviewed by Jenny at Wondrous Reads

The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams – reviewed by Jenny at Wondrous Reads

The Poisoned House by Michael Ford – reviewed by Amber at The Mile Long Bookshelf

The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot – reviewed by Carla at The Crooked Shelf

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han – reviewed by Iffath at LoveReadingX

The Theif by Megan Whalen – reviewed by Carla at The Crooked Shelf

Time Riders by Alex Scarrow – reviewed by The Bookette

Today Books 4 Teens brings you the 7th extract from Glee: The Beginning by Sophia Lowell.

You can read the entire first chapter of Glee: The Beginning by Sophia Lowell by following a trail of blogs which starts at Escape In A Book.

The Extract

Her fingers were tingling from her success. She’d done it! She’d taken the first huge step of the year to becoming someone people actually knew and admired. Who knew? Maybe by next year, people would be voting for her for homecoming queen. The thought gave her chills. Rachel slung her backpack over her shoulder as she left the attendance office. The hallway was packed with students clanking their lockers open and guys doing that shoulderthumping thing they did. She had just a few minutes to get to her locker before first period. Her face was flushed with excitement. She felt like a new woman.

But . . . no one seemed to be looking at her. She stared at the students as they continued to brush past her, oblivious to the fact that she’d just given an amazing performance over the loudspeaker. Was it possible that everyone was just too jealous of her obvious talent to acknowledge her? The thought made her feel a little better. She looked up to see Sue Sylvester, the hardened coach of the Cheerios. Rachel stood up a little straighter. She didn’t exactly like Coach Sylvester, but part of her admired the woman for making the most of her situation. Having to settle for being a high school cheerleading coach was probably a big letdown, but Coach Sylvester had turned the cheerleading program at McKinley into one of the best in the state, taking the Cheerios to nationals twelve years in a row. The trophy cases that lined the walls of the main hallways were overflowing with gold-plated cheerleader statuettes.

You can read the previous extract on the Bookbabblers blog and the next one on the The Book Mogul.

Glee: The Beginning is published by Headline UK on August 5th 2010.

Thank you to Headline UK and Sam for allowing Books 4 Teens to participate in this fab feature!

This trailer isn’t just for one book but a series of books which are described as “Miss Marple for young readers”. Essentially each book in the series is a brand new murder mystery where Poppy and her friends turn investigators in an effort to solve the crime.

These sound like a fun read, throw in the trailer and i’ve got some more books to add to my Wishlist.

The Poppy Fields books are written by Tanya Landman and are published in the UK by Walker Books.

Original Picture: JohnnyEnglish

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).

Summaries are from Amazon.

For Review

Glee: The Beginning by Sophia Lowell
CALLING ALL GLEEKS! Get more of your favourite characters in this official Glee prequel!

All great performances deserve a warm-up! Enroll early at McKinley High to find out what went on before New Directions was even a glimmer in Mr Schuester’s eye. When did Rachel first decide Finn was more than just a jock? When did Puck and Quinn start their secret romance? And how did the fledgling Glee Club function without a fearless leader? Hint: It wasn’t exactly a perfect melody.

Break out the gold stars and refill the slushies: it’s time to find out what happened to all your favourite characters before the show-mance began

These novels contain additional storylines to those featured in the hit TV show.

P.S you can catch an exclusive extract from the first chapter of Glee: The Beginning on Books 4 Teens this Thursday (29th July 2010) – you can read the first chapter by following a trail of blogs on this date – check out this post on Escape In A Book for further details.

Theatremonkey: A Guide to London’s West End by Steve Rich
This is a book for review on my musical theatre blog – it’s basically a complete guide to London’s West End including seating plans and tons of advice.

What did you get this week? Happy Reading

Each Friday Book Reviews This Week takes a look at reviews published in the Young Adult book blogosphere to help us all find great new (or rediscover older) young adult books and while were at it celebrate the work of all the young adult book bloggers out there

Here’s a selection from this week (ordered alphabetically by title).

Review: 100% Gleek – The Unofficial Guide to Glee by Evie Parker – reviewed by Jenny at Wondrous Reads

A Most Improper Magick (The Unladylike Adventures Of Kat Stephenson) by Stephanie Burgis – reviewed by Lauren at I Was A Teenage Book Geek

Dead Boy Talking by Linda Strachan – reviewed by Kate at Chicklish

Dead Boy Talking by Linda Strachan + Author Interview – reviewed by Jenny at Wondrous Reads

Fallen Grace by Mary Hooper – reviewed by Iffath at LoveReadingX

Firebrand by Gillian Philip – reviewed by The Bookette

Forest Born by Shannon Hale – reviewed by Georgia K at Chicklish

Forget You by Jennifer Echols – reviewed by Kristi, The Story Siren

Forget You by Jennifer Echols – reviewed by Jenny at Wondrous Reads

Fortune by Megan Cole – reviewed by Sophie at So Many Books, So Little Time

Freak Magnet by Andrew Auseon – reviewed by Carla at The Crooked Shelf

If I Stay by Gayle Forman – reviewed by Iffath at LoveReadingX

Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead – reviewed by Kristi, The Story Siren

The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams – reviewed by Lauren at I Was A Teenage Book Geek

The Disreputable History Of Frankie Landai-Banks by E. Lockhart – reviewed by Carla at The Crooked Shelf

The Glass Demon by Helen Grant – reviewed by Kati at Chicklish

The Poisoned House by Michael Ford – reviewed by Amber at The Mile Long Bookshelf

The Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink – reviewed by Kristi, The Story Siren

The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson – reviewed by The Bookette

Wasted by Nicola Morgan – reviewed by Emma at Asamum Booktopia

Withering Tights by Louise Rennison – reviewed by Amber at The Mile Long Bookshelf

Author: Megan Cole

Publisher: HarperCollinsChildren’s Books (8th July 2010)

Pages: 432

ISBN: 978-0-00-736470-1

Three different girls, Madison, Simonetta and Sapphie coming from three very different backgrounds with more in common then they could ever guess.

Madison is wealthy and lives in New York, but she’s so over it, her Mum won’t let her party, won’t let her have botox and she’s not allowed to leave the city because her Step Father is sick.

Simonetta is a model who just wants her Mum off her back, she doesn’t want to give up modelling and return to in her words the ‘dull little village’.

Sapphire pure and simple, just wants to write songs and hang out in the London based record shop where she works.

All three recieve a dazzling invitation from the one and only billionaire music mogul, Brad Masters – the real question is… why?

After reading just the synopsis it immediatley reminded me of Mamma Mia! I can’t really reveal too much as to why but I think it’s enough to say that the story is based mainly around the gorgeous sounding private island and even though I’m not a huge fan of the sun I wanted to go there.

Out of the three girls I very quickly warmed to Sapphire, she seemed warm and caring with real dreams and a passion for music which was a stark contrast to particularly Maddison and to an extent Simonetta who seemed more interested in themselves.

I enjoyed how the three main characters interacted with each other although I would of like to have seen more of Simonetta. I felt really sorry for Sapphire in so many places but again it would reveal too much to say why.

Fortune has lots of twists in the plot, some of which you can see coming a mile off only to then be hit by a couple of big ones that I didn’t see coming which shine a whole new light on things.

Fortune was a fun, fast paced and enjoyable read, something lighthearted which you could easily take on holiday, sit by the pool or simply read in the garden with.

Thank you to Harper Collins for sending me a copy to review.

I’ve never seen a trailer and then so badly wanted to read the book until I saw this trailer for Withering Tights it just looks so good, and I want to read it right now!

What do you think?

Withering Tights is written by Louise Rennison and published by Harper Collins Children’s Books.

Each Friday Book Reviews This Week takes a look at reviews published in the Young Adult book blogosphere to help us all find great new (or rediscover older) young adult books and while were at it celebrate the work of all the young adult book bloggers out there

Here’s a selection from this week (ordered alphabetically by title).

Beautiful Malice by Rebecca James – reviewed by Iffath at LoveReadingX

Blood Feud by Alyxandra Harvey – reviewed by Daria at Chicklish

Dreaming of Amelia – reviewed by Lauren at I Was A Teenage Book Geek

Endless Summer by Jennifer Echols – reviewed by Jenny at Wondrous Reads

Fallen Grace by Mary Hooper – reviewed by Summer at Chicklish

Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma – reviewed by Kate at Chicklish

Fortune by Megan Cole – reviewed by Amber at The Mile Long Bookshelf

Girl,16 Five Star Fiasco – reviewed by The Bookette

Glimmerglass by Jenna Black – reviewed by Kristi, The Story Siren

Losing It by Various Authors – reviewed by Jenny at Wondrous Reads

Loving Spirit by Linda Chapman – reviewed by Amber at The Mile Long Bookshelf

Starcrossed by Jo Cotterill – reviewed by Lauren at I Was A Teenage Book Geek

Tell Me A Secret by Holly Cupala – reviewed by Iffath at LoveReadingX

The Other Countess by Eve Edwards – reviewed by Rhiana Reads

The Other Countess by Eve Edwards – reviewed by Sophie at So Many Books, So Little Time

The Other Countess by Eve Edwards – reviewed by Carla at The Crooked Shelf

The Worst of Me by Kate le Vann – reviewed by Chelsea at Chicklish

Uglies by Scott Westerfield – reviewed by The Bookette

Zelah Green by Vanessa Curtis – reviewed by Jenny at Wondrous Reads

Author: Lauren Oliver

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton (22nd July 2010 – Paperback)

Pages: 341

ISBN: 978-0-340-98090-3

How would you feel if you knew you were right now living the very last day of your life? And you were living it again and again and again in a kind of time loop.

Could you fix it so that it was perfect? Would you remember to tell everyone important to you that you loved them? Would you have any regrets? What could you change?

On her way home from a party one night high school student Sam Kingston is killed in a horific car crash… But then she wakes up and the same day starts again and for the next week she continues to relive the same day. She’s the popular, pretty and mean girl in school and she’s the only one that gets the chance to create the perfect day.

As she experiences the day over and over she’s forced to reflect on her life and starts to appreciate all the little things shes been taking for granted and see others for who they really are.

I loved the idea of the time loop where you repeat a day until it is as it’s meant to be, getting the opportunity to put right mistakes and change decisions. The book really highlighted all of the small decisions we make each day and showed how making tweaks here and there can make all the difference not only to our lives but to the lives of others.

This was the first book I’ve ever read which I’ve ever disliked the main character from the very first page, I disliked that she was so mean and the way she treated other people who she didn’t consider her friends. However I can’t help but feel that this was deliberate as after reading on I found myself very quickly warming to her and by the end I think Sam has become my favourite main character in YA fiction.

At the same time I really felt for Juliet Sykes after the way Sam and her friends treated her and I still feel slightly emotional writing it about it now (which is something considering I finished reading Before I Fall on Sunday). The way they fell out with each other really does break my heart.

I read the book by the days but as the writing was so good and I just wanted to know how Sam would wake up the next day I just couldn’t stop myself reading the first paragraph (or 2) of the next day, and this was almost without fail after the end of each and every day.

For me this is the best book I’ve read this year so far and if Lauren’s writing is anything to go by I can’t wait for more.

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton for sending me a copy to review.