Review: Dear Dylan

Read my full review of Dear Dylan at Mostly Reading YA

My rating: 4/5

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Dear Dylan, I was really curious about the story concept because I’ve never read a book that is told entirely through emails and I wasn’t very convinced that it would work. How can you tell a story just through letters? What about all the bits in-between? How can I really know a character when I’m not seeing everything? Will they be a reliable narrator? I was full of questions when I started reading, but those questions very quickly melted away as I was drawn into an amazing story...

Review: The Witch of Turlingham Academy

Read my full review of The Witch of Turlingham Academy at Mostly Reading YA

My Rating: 5/5

Described as ‘The Worst Witch meets The Chocolate Box Girls’, The Witch of Turlingham Academy is definitely an exciting new children’s book and a wonderful read. It didn’t take long for me to read The Witch of Turlingham Academy because not only is it a compact story it’s also well written and full of adventure. I didn’t want to put it down...

Review: The Demon's Watch

Read my review of The Demon's Watch at Mostly Reading YA

 My rating: 5/5

The Demon’s Watch is fantasy at its best. Sure, we’ve heard the concept a hundred times before. There’s a mysterious magical object that everyone wants and an anti-hero who’s going to save the day, but there is so much more to The Demon’s Watch than just that, and that is what makes it so great. Joseph Grubb is your unsuspecting hero. Usually goblins are ugly, horrid little beasts but Grubb is actually quite an endearing half-goblin who has been stuck with the short end of the stick for most of his life. That is, until he accidentally comes across a mysterious object on the floor of the tavern where he lives, runs away and is thrown into the adventure of his life!

Review: 0.4

Read the full review of 0.4 at Mostly Reading YA

 My rating: 4/5

Also known as Human.4, Mike Lancaster’s 0.4 has an engaging and fast moving plot that made me not want to put it down. There are many fantastic, classic sci-fi novels out there but I do struggle to think of many modern ones that would appeal to the average teenager. Although 0.4 isn’t perfect it certainly isn’t a bad place to start and I do get the feeling that Mike Lancaster’s writing will only get better with the next book, 1.4...

Review: The Emerald Atlas

Read my full review of The Emerald Atlas: The Books of Beginning at Mostly Reading YA

My rating: 5/5

The Emerald Atlas looks like an exciting adventure-fantasy book, and it doesn’t disappoint. Sure, the concept is nothing new. Three siblings, an orphanage, dwarves, a magic book, parallel worlds, wizards and all that, but although there are a lot of familiar things in the book that doesn’t mean that it isn’t a great read and still original...

Review: POD

Read my full review of POD by Stephen Wallenfels at Mostly Reading YA

My rating: 4/5

POD follows fifteen year old Will who is stuck in his house with his OCD dad and twelve year old Megs who is alone, trapped in the multi-storey car park of a hotel that has been taken over by dangerous security staff. Aliens have invaded and no one can go outside because if they do, they’re zapped. But the real enemy is the people who will do anything to survive...

Review: Unleashed

Read my full review of Unleashed by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie at Mostly Reading YA.

My rating: 3/5

For the most part Unleashed is like pretty much every other supernatural book out there. Orphaned teenage girl. Moves to new town. Something weird lurking in the forest. Told not to go out at night but does anyway. Finds herself caught up in something much bigger than she expected. Oh, and two sexy boys who she finds it hard to choose between. It fills that craving you get every so often for something that is a little predictable, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t a good book...

Review: The History Keepers The Storm Begins

Read my full review of The History Keepers: The Storm Begins at Mostly Reading YA.

My rating: 3/5

Damien Dibben has worked extensively as a screenwriter and has a passion for cosmology, ancient history, natural science and adventure stories, which is all clear in The History Keepers: The Storm Begins. His first novel it is certainly packed full of adventure and history!

Sunday Catch Up

So as I mentioned yesterday we had cream teas for breakfast twice this week! It's been really grey and rainy all week so it was something fun to do on an otherwise boring day. The cat teapot is from The Tea Emporium in Bath, my boyfriend bought it for me a few years ago. I was sitting on the left in the top photo, I don't drink Earl Grey with milk but the boy does because he is a heathen. Also check out our stylish milk bottle, we don't own a jug. I want one shaped like a cat, if that exists?

I also discovered Pinterest this week and have whiled away many an hours looking at pretty things and food. The thing I love so much is how easy it is to find recipes. I judge food by how yummy it looks so I like browsing through pictures until something catches my eye. We also need to decorate our house at some point so it's cool to see different ideas and what other people have done in their homes.

Image from here

I made mexican lasagna for dinner last night and the boy loved it, he's requested that I make it again at some point which is always a good sign. He doesn't eat a lot of vegetables, which is weird when you consider he's a vegetarian, so I've decided that I'll just have to cook him yummy veggie based dinners and find out which ones are his favourites. Plus vegetables are so cheap anyway and good for you. But then I've always been a bit of a vegetable and fruit freak. He also doesn't eat fruit...yeah I don't know how he's still slim and healthy.

We walked to the big park near us, King George VI Park. It's just a big patch of green with a kids play area, a shop that I imagine is open in the summer and trees. It's about 20-30 minutes walk from our house and it's on top of the cliffs so it's a pretty stunning walk there and back. You can also see my boyfriend's Dad's theatre/cinema from the entrance which is cool. While there we saw a dog that looked like a bear:

Japanese Spitz aka Bear Dog

and a little Shetland Sheepdog that the boy said reminded him of an overexcited child in a fur coat. On the way home we saw Ring-necked Parakeets:

Photo by Mark Kilner at King George VI Park, Ramsgate

We didn't go around all the park, so I'm sure we also missed seeing some other cool stuff. There's some weird building in it that we want to check out next time we go.

Last night's dinner was this:

From The Vegan Stoner

Not sure what I'll be making today though.

Aside from walking around and eating I've been working, as usual, and playing lots of Skyrim, as usual.

I also received a really lovely email from Julia, a reader of this blog, which totally made my week! Julia is going to also be reviewing for Mostly Reading YA soon and has a great little blog called Wright Reading that you should check out. It's not been going long but already has some great content. So don't hesitate to email me or leave comments if you have any questions or just want to be friendly!

That's all for this week!

Review: Ranger's Apprentice: The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan

Read the full review of Ranger's Apprentice: The Ruins of Gorlan at Mostly Reading YA

My rating: 4/5

I have a soft spot for fantasy-adventure books and Ranger’s Apprentice: The Ruins of Gorlan did not disappoint me. Fantasy-adventure books are always popular, especially with 9-12 year olds, and the premise might not be completely original as a young, orphan boy becomes the apprentice to a grimfaced, stoic professional and must prove his worth but there is something special about this book.

Review: The Fallen By Watchbird by Jane Weaver

Read my full review of The Fallen By Watchbird at Mostly Reading YA

My Rating: 2/5

The Fallen By Watchbird is a hard book to place in terms of readership, although the story is short and it was written for children I am not entirely sure how many children would be drawn to it. It strikes me much more as a book that an adult would want to pick up and then maybe share with their child, rather than the other way around...

Coveted Cover: The Fallen By Watchbird

The Fallen By Watchbird by Jane Weaver

This book dropped through my letterbox just an hour ago. I wasn't expecting it at all so it was a lovely surprise and it's gorgeous! I will be reviewing to for Mostly Reading YA soon. I love the cover, it's strange and beautiful and it looked like the rest of the book is too. It's heavily influenced by Eastern European artm music, pop-surrealism and folklore, which I love, so I'm really looking forward to getting around to reading it. At the same time the swirling background reminds me of primary school when we would do marbling in a plastic drawer and then cut the paper into pretty shapes to make a card or cover a book. I have only seen one other review for this book and that person didn't like it, they found the art style creepy and dislike that there wasn't a happy-ever-after fairytale ending. Each to their own, I suppose. Jane Weaver is a singer-songwriter from Liverpool

From Jane Weaver's website:

“A Watchbird is a rare creature with great strength and unusual powers. It can seek and follow a vessel for days through treacherous weather and still return to its owner. But not just anyone can keep a Watchbird. You cannot command a Watchbird to be your pet, for a Watchbird chooses its own keeper and this makes it all the more special.”

The book combines stunning fairytale illustrations with the author's unique lyrical narrative. The Fallen By Watchbird is designed to appeal to child-like imaginations of all ages.

When a girl becomes estranged from her heart's desire it takes a special kind of energy to bring them back together. But is the power of true love strong enough or will she have to call upon her faithful magical Watchbird to guide her through her mystic and treacherous quest?

A new version of the album "The Fallen By Watch Bird" is being released to coincide with publication of this book. Mojo magazine says of the record:"This spectral album lingers like incense in the air".

Review: The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

Read my full review of The Goddess Test at Mostly Reading YA.

My rating 3/5

When I first received The Goddess Test I was really looking forward to reading it. The cover is gorgeous and the blurb on the back promised a great story. However there were times when I felt quite disappointed with this book...

Review: The Haunting of Charity Delafield by Ian Beck

Read my full review of The Haunting of Charity Delafield at Mostly Reading YA.

My rating: 3/5

 Ian Beck is a man who knows not just how to write, but how to write well and The Haunting of Charity Delafield is definitely a wonderful novel for children. From start to finish I liked every character I encountered, even Charity’s controlling father because despite his apparent harshness you could see that he loved her. However I can’t say that I loved any of the characters...

Review: Arcadia Awakens by Kai Meyer

Read the my full review of Arcadia Awakens at Mostly Reading YA.

My Rating: 4/5

"When I first read the synopsis of Arcadia Awakens I knew I had to read it. Then I saw the cover and I was totally convinced. I couldn't wait for my copy to drop through the letterbox and when it did arrive, I wasn't let down..." 

Twelve Days of Christmas: Day #2

11 Favourite Writing Blogs Of 2011

Image from: syd delicious

These are just some of the many blogs that I follow and love. I say 'writing blogs' because all of these people are writers in their own ways, whether they be blogging, reviewing or writing their own novels. They're all lovely and talented and deserve lots of love so check them out!

Laura Jane Cassidy (Author, writing, life and all sorts)

Writing from the Tub (Writer and reviewer)

Page Turners (Reviews)

The Crooked Shelf (Reviews)

Writer Unboxed (Writing)

Mostly Reading YA (who I review for)

Inkygirl (Writing)

Ravenous Reader (Reviews)

Wonderous Reads (Reviews)

Charade (Life, advice, fashion and everything inbetween)

Nose in a Book (Reviews and active promotion of book love)