Friday 28 February 2014

The Waiting Sky by Lara Zielin

Release Date: August 2013
Source: Purchased

From Goodreads: One summer chasing tornadoes could finally change Jane's life for the better

Seventeen-year-old Jane McAllister can't quite admit her mother's alcoholism is spiraling dangerously out of control until she drives drunk, nearly killing them and Jane's best friend.

Jane has only one place to turn: her older brother Ethan, who left the problems at home years ago for college. A summer with him and his tornado-chasing buddies may just provide the time and space Jane needs to figure out her life and whether it still includes her mother. But she struggles with her anger at Ethan for leaving home and feels guilty--is she also abandoning her mom just when she needs Jane most? The carefree trip turned journey of self-discovery quickly becomes more than Jane bargained for, especially when the devilishly handsome Max steps into the picture.


I will admit it was the whole chasing tornado aspect of the story (and that super cool cover!) that made me buy this and I am so glad I did. I was really surprised by this book – it was much more than I was expecting it to be.

I loved the way the author dealt with the mother’s alcoholism – and Jane’s need to be there for her mother. I liked that her mother was shown to have a problem – but not portrayed as the bad guy – just someone who needs to recognize for themselves that they need help. I also liked that Jane obviously loves her mother – but that guilt is also part of what is making her stay. That ‘what if’ – what if something bad happened to her mother that she could have prevented? I really like that aspect of the story and the way her brother helps her to understand it’s not her responsibility to fix her mother.

I also liked the romance part of the story (of course!) and the tornado chasing was cool. I’ll definitely be reading more of Lara Zielin's work.



Thursday 27 February 2014

Character Profile (Oksa Pollock Blog Tour)


As part of the blog tour for the release of the second Oksa Pollock novel, The Forest of Lost Souls,  I have a character profile for the main character...

Name: Oksa Pollock

Age: 13 years old (at the beginning of the series), 17 years old at the end

Favourite film: The Dark Knight

Favourite dish: her grandmother’s pirojkis (small meatpies – it’s a Russian recipe), spiced tea and raspberries. Note: she hates leeks.

Favourite TV series: Heroes, Being Human, The Misfits (only stories where people have to hide who they are...)

Favourite subject at school: History

Favourite place in Paris: Montmartre, Sacré-Cœur

Favourite places in London since she moved: St James’s Park and Leicester Square

If she could have another magical power, what would it be? The ultimate one: bring dead people back to life.

If she was on a desert island with only one thing, what would it be? She’s very practical, so she would certainly choose something useful: a knife or a warm piece of clothing…
---
Like to hear more about the books?  Check out the summary below:

From Amazon: A New Heroine. An Old Evil. An Unforgettable Adventure.

A thrilling new supernatural adventure series. Fuses the excitement, action and extraordinary worlds of Harry Potter, I Am Number Four and Buffy the Vampire Slayer with an inspirational new teen heroine.

Oksa Pollock is a normal thirteen-year-old girl, starting a new life in London. New lives, new friends, a new school and new adventures. But bizarre things start happening around Oksa she finds she can produce fire from her hands, move objects with her mind, and even fly.

Finally the truth emerges... her family fled Edefia, their magical, hidden homeland years ago. And more than that: Oksa is their queen... Oksa will be thrown into a wilder adventure than she could ever have imagined. She must triumph over her enemies. The whole of Edefia is counting on her.


Both are published today - The Last Hope in paperback and The Forest of Lost Souls in hardback.

Don't forget to check out the rest of the blog tour!  Details are below:



Wednesday 26 February 2014

My Life Undecided by Jessica Brody

Release Date: June 2011
Source: Purchased

From Goodreads: PLEASE READ THIS! MY LIFE DEPENDS ON IT!

Okay, maybe that was a bit melodramatic, but I’m sorry, I’m feeling a bit melodramatic at the moment.

Here’s the deal. My name is Brooklyn Pierce, I’m fifteen years old, and I am decisionally challenged. Seriously, I can’t remember the last good decision I made. I can remember plenty of crappy ones though. Including that party I threw when my parents were out of town that accidentally burned down a model home. Yeah, not my finest moment, for sure.

But see, that’s why I started a blog. To enlist readers to make my decisions for me. That’s right. I gave up. Threw in the towel. I let someone else decide which book I read for English. And whether or not I accepted an invitation to join the debate team from that cute-in-a-dorky-sort-of-way guy who gave me the Heimlich maneuver in the cafeteria. (Note to self: chew the melon before swallowing it.) I even let them decide who I dated!

Well, it turns out there are some things in life you simply can’t choose or have chosen for you—like who you fall in love with. And now everything’s more screwed up than ever.

But don’t take my word for it. Read the book and decide for yourself. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll scream in frustration. Or maybe that’s just me. After all, it’s my life.


As with the Karma Club and 52 Reasons to Hate my Father I loved this. I really liked the idea behind the story - that she wanted to use the blog as a way of making descision – since her own were so bad!

Brooklyn is one of those characters you just know is going to get into trouble – lets just say trouble has pretty much followed her all her life! - so I was very intrigued to see how she would cope with the blog and them making choices for her. I wasn’t convinced she would do what they said!

As with previous books by Jessica Brody this is such good fun. It’s funny, sweet and again I loved the romance element of the book. I can’t wait to read more of her books.


Tuesday 25 February 2014

I want to read that...

What I Thought Was True by Huntley Fitzpatrick

From Goodreads: From the author of My Life Next Door comes a swoony summertime romance full of expectation and regret, humor and hard questions.

Gwen Castle's Biggest Mistake Ever, Cassidy Somers, is slumming it as a yard boy on her Nantucket-esque island this summer. He's a rich kid from across the bridge in Stony Bay, and she hails from a family of fishermen and housecleaners who keep the island's summer people happy. Gwen worries a life of cleaning houses will be her fate too, but just when it looks like she'll never escape her past—or the island—Gwen's dad gives her some shocking advice. Sparks fly and secret histories unspool as Gwen spends a gorgeous, restless summer struggling to resolve what she thought was true—about the place she lives, the people she loves, and even herself—with what really is.

A magnetic, push-me-pull-me romance with depth, this is for fans of Sarah Dessen, Jenny Han, and Deb Caletti.


I absolutely LOVED My Life Next Door and am SERIOUSLY looking forward to reading this book!  April can't come soon enough!

Monday 24 February 2014

Just Listen by Sarah Dessen

Release Date: 2006
Source: Purchased

From Goodreads: To find the truth, you've got to be willing to hear it.

When she's modeling, Annabel is the picture of perfection.

But her real life is far from perfect.

Fortunately, she's got Owen. He's intense, music-obsessed, and dedicated to always telling the truth.

And most of all, he's determined to make Annabel happy...


How on earth have I managed to this far without reading a Sarah Dessen book? Yes I have no idea either! Because this was absolutely amazing – I loved everything about it.

There is so much going on in this story. What happened to Annabel and how she is dealing (or not dealing) with that. Her home life and her sister’s anorexia. Having to deal with no longer having friends at school. It was really engaging – finding out what had happened to Annabel to get her to this point in her life and then as the story progresses seeing her sister fight her illness and Annabel face her demons.

I also adored the relationship between Annabel and Owen – it is so good. I just loved it. Every romance should be like this!

On the back of this I bought every Sarah Dessen book I could get my hands on and have already read Lock and Key and Along for the Ride – both of which I really enjoyed. I'm looking forward to reading all her others.


Friday 21 February 2014

Karma Club by Jessica Brody

Release Date: April 2010
Source: Purchased

From Goodreads: Madison Kasparkova always thought she understood how Karma works. Do good things and you'll be rewarded, do something bad and Karma will make sure you get what you deserve.

But when Maddy’s boyfriend cheats on her, nothing bad comes his way. That’s why Maddy starts the Karma Club, to clean up the messes that the universe has left behind. Sometimes, though, it isn’t wise to meddle with the universe.

It turns out Karma often has plans of its own.


On the basis of reading 52 Reasons to Hate my Father I purchased both this and My Life Undecided – and I love them both just as much. I really am a massive fan of her books!

I found this a really fun book to read. I liked the main characters and the whole concept of The Karma Club (although I was waiting for it all to backfire!) Maddie was sweet – maybe a bit shallow to begin with – but she does grow in this and I liked her. Her best friends are great too! Plus I loved the romance element of the book – Jessica Brody is brilliant at that!

A quick and super fun read – with a good message too.



Thursday 20 February 2014

I want to read that...

Year of Mistaken Discoveries by Eileen Cook

From Goodreads: Friendship is a bond stronger than secrets in this novel from the author of The Almost Truth and Unraveling Isobel.

As first graders, Avery and Nora bonded over a special trait they shared; they were both adopted.

Years later, Avery is smart, popular, and on the cheerleading squad, while Nora spends her time on the fringes of school society, wearing black, reading esoteric poetry, and listening to obscure music. They never interact...until the night Nora approaches Avery at a party, saying it's urgent. She tells Avery that she thought she found her birth mom; but it turned out to be a cruel lie. Avery feels for Nora, but returns to her friends at the party.

Then Avery learns that Nora overdosed on pills. Left to cope with Nora’s loss and questioning her own actions, Avery decides to honor her friend by launching a search for her own birth mother. Aided by Brody, a friend of Nora's who is also looking for a way to respect Nora's legacy, Avery embarks on an emotional quest. But what she's really seeking might go far deeper than just genetics.


I love Eileen Cook's books! I have enjoyed them all so can't wait to get my hands on this one. It's published March 2014 by Simon Pulse.

Wednesday 19 February 2014

Hysteria by Megan Miranda

Publisher: Bloomsbury
ISBN: 9781408834848
Release Date: Feb 2013
Source: Netgalley/Purchased

From Goodreads: Mallory's life is falling apart.

Her boyfriend was stabbed. He bled to death in her kitchen. Mallory was the one who stabbed him. But she can't remember what happened that night. She only remembers the fear...

When Mallory's parents send her away to a boarding school, she thinks she can escape the gossip and the threats. But someone, or something, has followed her. There's the hand that touches her shoulder when she's drifting off to sleep. A voice whispering her name. And everyone knows what happened. So when a pupil is found dead, Mallory's name is on their lips.

Her past can be forgotten but it's never gone. Can Mallory live with that?


Fracture was one of those books that completely blew me away when I read it last year so I was definitely excited to read this one – and while I didn't love it quite as much as Fracture I must say it was really, really good!

Mallory is quite a hard character to like. I'm not sure if it’s because we are getting the story from her POV and she’s kind of an unreliable narrator in the sense that all these strange thing are happening and that she cant recall what happened that night or just that she doesn't initially seem particularly sorry for what happened? I’m not sure – I couldn’t really put my finger on it. Maybe I was judging her for her choice – but who knows what you would do if you were in her shoes. I certainly don’t!

Despite not being certain I actually liked Mallory I did find myself completely emerged in her story. Everything that happens is really creepy – is she being haunted or is something else going on? I never knew what to think, what to believe and that was really exciting – I couldn’t wait to finish the book and find out what was actually going on. And it didn't disappoint!

I wasn't sure about the friendship between Mallory and Colleen either but grew to like it as the story progressed. And I adored the relationship that builds between Mallory and Reid – so, so good!

I’m looking forward to seeing what this author comes up with next – I'll definitely be reading it!


Monday 17 February 2014

What Happens Next by Colleen Clayton

Publisher: Poppy (Little Brown Books for Young Readers)
ISBN: 9780316198684 (HB) 9780316198691 (PB)
Release Date: October 2012
Source: Purchased

From Goodreads: How can you talk about something you can’t remember?

Before the ski trip, sixteen-year-old Cassidy “Sid” Murphy was a cheerleader (at the bottom of the pyramid, but still...), a straight-A student, and a member of a solid trio of best friends. When she ends up on a ski lift next to handsome local college boy, Dax Windsor, she’s thrilled; but Dax takes everything from Sid—including a lock of her perfect red curls—and she can’t remember any of it.

Back home and unable to relate to her old friends, Sid drops her college prep classes and takes up residence in the A/V room with only Corey “The Living Stoner” Livingston for company. But as she gets to know Corey (slacker, baker, total dreamboat), Sid finds someone who truly makes her happy. Now, if she can just shake the nightmares and those few extra pounds, everything will be perfect... or so she thinks.

Witty and poignant, Colleen Clayton’s stunning debut is a story about moving on after the unthinkable happens.


I’m really not sure why I haven’t reviewed this yet, especially since it is one of my favourite reads. Dealing with the repercussions of rape, it is brilliantly written. It also has one of my favourite friendship/romances ever.

One of the main aspects of this story is that while Sid ‘knows’ what happened to her she can’t remember it. And she absolutely cannot bring herself to tell anyone what happened. It’s this silence – and the repercussions of her silence – that drive the story.

At first I was furious at her friends for letting her down and not being there for her. But then I realised they didn’t know there was anything to be there for – to them Sid was just acting out – pretty much without reason and getting them into trouble for it – so you can kind of see their point of view.

What is does mean though, it that Sid is forced to find friendship elsewhere – and she does! In the form of Corey. Who I absolutely and completely loved. Their relationship is so genuine and slow building and just completely brilliant – love, love love it! He’s definitely an example of why you shouldn't judge someone by their appearance or reputation!

It’s not easy reading all the time – it’s raw, honest and emotional - it is such a poignant read. it really has stayed with me long after I finished reading it! I am desperate to see what Colleen Clayton writes next!


Friday 14 February 2014

Also Known As by Robin Benway

Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers (US) S&S (UK)
ISBN: 9780802733900 (US) 9781471116742 (UK)
Release Date: Feb 2013
Source: Purchased

This is published as Spy Society in the UK

From Goodreads: Which is more dangerous: being an international spy... or surviving high school?

Maggie Silver has never minded her unusual life. Cracking safes for the world's premier spy organization and traveling the world with her insanely cool parents definitely beat high school and the accompanying cliques, bad lunches, and frustratingly simple locker combinations. (If it's three digits, why bother locking it at all?)

But when Maggie and her parents are sent to New York City for her first solo assignment, her world is transformed. Suddenly, she's attending a private school with hundreds of "mean girl" wannabes, trying to avoid the temptation to hack the school's elementary security system, and working to befriend the aggravatingly cute son of a potential national security threat... all while trying not to blow her cover.

From the hilarious and poignant author of Audrey, Wait! comes a fast-paced caper that proves that even the world's greatest spies don't have a mission plan for love.



Having absolutely loved Audrey Wait I knew I’d probably enjoy this one – and I really did! It is so much fun – I loved it! It’s kind of a cross between the TV show Alias and Gallager Girls, with something else thrown in.

I loved the concept – the way the family work for the collective and that they have for all of Maggie life. Plus I love the way she has all these skill (safe cracking, forgery etc) but can’t quite master high school. Throw in Roux (she totally rocks!) and Jesse and I was completely sold!

I really love Roux. She has absolutely no filter and is the kind of person who says and does what most people are just thinking. But there is a vulnerability there to which makes her someone you want to squish!

Jesse was adorable from his first scene – and I like the friendship/chemistry between him and Maggie. I also loved Angelo and Maggie’s parents.

Great stuff – sign me up for the sequel!   I'd like it now please.


Thursday 13 February 2014

I want to read that...

The Art of Lainey by Paula Stokes

From Goodreads: Soccer star Lainey Mitchell is used to getting what she wants, and when her boyfriend Jason breaks up with her for no reason, what she wants is to win him back before the start of their senior year. Lainey and her friend Bianca check the interwebz for tips and tricks, but the online dating advice is all pretty lame.

Then the girls stumble across a copy of The Art of War. Didn't someone once say that love is a battlefield? Jason isn't going to stand a chance once Lainey and Bee go all Zhou Dynasty on him...

Old school strategy and subterfuge meet modern-day dramarama in the story of a girl who sets out to win at all costs and ends up discovering what's really worth fighting for.


This sounds like it could be great fun!  Looking forward to it!  It is published May 2014 by Harper Teen.

Wednesday 12 February 2014

Thousand Words by Jennifer Brown

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 9780316209724
Release Date: May 2013
Source: Purchased

From Goodreads: Ashleigh's boyfriend, Kaleb, is about to leave for college, and Ashleigh is worried that he'll forget about her while he's away. So at a legendary end-of-summer pool party, Ashleigh's friends suggest she text him a picture of herself -- sans swimsuit -- to take with him. Before she can talk herself out of it, Ashleigh strides off to the bathroom, snaps a photo in the full-length mirror, and hits "send."

But when Kaleb and Ashleigh go through a bad breakup, Kaleb takes revenge by forwarding the text to his baseball team. Soon the photo has gone viral, attracting the attention of the school board, the local police, and the media. As her friends and family try to distance themselves from the scandal, Ashleigh feels completely alone -- until she meets Mack while serving her court-ordered community service. Not only does Mack offer a fresh chance at friendship, but he's the one person in town who received the text of Ashleigh's photo -- and didn't look.

Acclaimed author Jennifer Brown brings readers a gripping novel about honesty and betrayal, redemption and friendship, attraction and integrity, as Ashleigh finds that while a picture may be worth a thousand words . . . it doesn't always tell the whole story.


The Hate List is still one of my all time favourite reads so I get a little over excited each time Jennifer Brown publishes a new book. Like her others – this tackles a serious issue head on – and I found it really enjoyable and thought provoking too.

I really liked the main character Ashleigh – she’s easy to like and relate too, but she’s also really tough/strong too. What happens to her could have really affected her negatively but she does well to cope with it all. And I’m glad she does acknowledge her part in what happen (which is definitely not to say it was her fault at all) – but by embracing her punishment I think it showed a great strength of character.

To be honest, I’d never given much thought to sexting – or the fact it could be deemed as distributing child pornography. I’m not sure what the laws are in the UK – and while the outcome depicted in this seems harsh it does help to demonstrate the seriousness of the issue. And is food for thought.

I also really liked the friendship that develops between Ashleigh and Mack – although I would have like to have more closure on his part of the story. Another great read by Jennifer brown!


Tuesday 11 February 2014

Cover Wars: Far From You - Tess Sharpe



UK /  US

From Goodreads: Sophie Winters nearly died. Twice.

The first time, she's fourteen, and escapes a near-fatal car accident with scars, a bum leg, and an addiction to Oxy that'll take years to kick.

The second time, she's seventeen, and it's no accident. Sophie and her best friend Mina are confronted by a masked man in the woods. Sophie survives, but Mina is not so lucky. When the cops deem Mina's murder a drug deal gone wrong, casting partial blame on Sophie, no one will believe the truth: Sophie has been clean for months, and it was Mina who led her into the woods that night for a meeting shrouded in mystery.

After a forced stint in rehab, Sophie returns home to a chilly new reality. Mina's brother won't speak to her, her parents fear she'll relapse, old friends have become enemies, and Sophie has to learn how to live without her other half. To make matters worse, no one is looking in the right places and Sophie must search for Mina's murderer on her own. But with every step, Sophie comes closer to revealing all: about herself, about Mina and about the secret they shared.

I find it really interesting how these two covers use the same image to a different effect.  I think the US one is 'prettier' - I like the lights!  But the UK one just has a more sinister feel that seems to fit in better with the book.

What do you think?  Also, let me know if you've read this one yet & what you think  - it sounds great!

Monday 10 February 2014

Right of Way by Lauren Barnholdt

Publisher: Simon & Schuster (US)
ISBN: 9781442451278
Release Date: July 2013
Source: Purchased

From Goodreads: Can a road trip repair a romance gone wrong? Find out in this standalone companion to Lauren Barnholdt’s Two-way Street.

Here are Peyton and Jace, meeting on vacation. Click! It’s awesome, it’s easy, it’s romantic. This is the real deal.

Unless it isn’t. Because when you’re in love, you don’t just stop calling one day. And you don’t keep secrets. Or lie. And when your life starts falling apart, you’re supposed to have the other person to lean on.

Here are Peyton and Jace again, broken up but thrown together on a road trip. One of them is lying about the destination. One of them is pretending not to be leaving something behind. And neither of them is prepared for what’s coming on the road ahead…


Having absolutely loved Two way street I was majorly excited to read this one. Was I disappointed? A little bit – but over all I still really enjoyed it.

Like Two Way Street the main characters in this are thrown together on a road trip. Cue loads of angst! In a good way of course.  I really liked both Peyton and Jace. Peyton's back story was interesting – finding out about her parents and her reason for wanting to go to North Carolina. And Jace was great too. I also loved catching up with Courtney and Jordan – they were so sweet!

That little bit of disappointment comes from Jace's reason for ceasing contact with Peyton. I was like “Really? That's your reason? Wtf!” I don’t know – I kind of understand it but I also don’t if that makes sense. It just didn’t feel a big enough, or a justifiable enough, reason. Maybe it’s because in Two Way Street Jordan had a really good reason for his actions? But overall I think it’s a minor quibble – I did really enjoy the story.

And the ending was good.


Sunday 9 February 2014

I want to read that...

Free to Fall by Lauren Miller

From Goodreads: What if there was an app that told you what song to listen to, what coffee to order, who to date, even what to do with your life—an app that could ensure your complete and utter happiness? What if you never had to fail or make a wrong choice?

What if you never had to fall?

Fast-forward to a time when Apple and Google have been replaced by Gnosis, a monolith corporation that has developed the most life-changing technology to ever hit the market: Lux, an app that flawlessly optimizes decision making for the best personal results. Just like everyone else, sixteen-year-old Rory Vaughn knows the key to a happy, healthy life is following what Lux recommends. When she’s accepted to the elite boarding school Theden Academy, her future happiness seems all the more assured. But once on campus, something feels wrong beneath the polished surface of her prestigious dream school. Then she meets North, a handsome townie who doesn’t use Lux, and begins to fall for him and his outsider way of life. Soon, Rory is going against Lux’s recommendations, listening instead to the inner voice that everyone has been taught to ignore — a choice that leads her to uncover a truth neither she nor the world ever saw coming.


I loved Lauren Miller's first novel Parallel so I am super excited to try this one!  It's published in May (US) by Harper Teen. 

Saturday 8 February 2014

Parallel by Lauren Miller

Publisher: Harper Teen (US) Scholastic (UK)
ISBN: 9780062199799 (US) 9781407135120 (UK)
Release Date: May/June 2013
Source: Purchased

From Goodreads: Abby Barnes had a plan. The Plan. She'd go to Northwestern, major in journalism, and land a job at a national newspaper, all before she turned twenty-two. But one tiny choice—taking a drama class her senior year of high school—changed all that. Now, on the eve of her eighteenth birthday, Abby is stuck on a Hollywood movie set, miles from where she wants to be, wishing she could rewind her life. The next morning, she's in a dorm room at Yale, with no memory of how she got there. Overnight, it's as if her past has been rewritten.

With the help of Caitlin, her science-savvy BFF, Abby discovers that this new reality is the result of a cosmic collision of parallel universes that has Abby living an alternate version of her life. And not only that: Abby's life changes every time her parallel self makes a new choice. Meanwhile, her parallel is living out Abby's senior year of high school and falling for someone Abby's never even met.

As she struggles to navigate her ever-shifting existence, forced to live out the consequences of a path she didn't choose, Abby must let go of the Plan and learn to focus on the present, without losing sight of who she is, the boy who might just be her soul mate, and the destiny that's finally within reach.

Ooh! This was good! Something a bit different – clever and enjoyable!

I loved the concept of this story – as soon as I heard about it I knew I wanted to read it. And I’m so glad it lived up to those expectations. I’m not even going to attempt to explain the science behind it – it makes sense when you read it (kind of!) – but it really works. And I was totally addicted to it!

I loved the characters in this. Abby and her best friend Caitlin. Micheal and Josh (especially Josh!). I loved the romance elements of the story – plus not knowing what was going to happen – how simple changes in the past affect the present. There was also a bit of a mystery too – why this was happening and if Abby would get back to ’her@ life.

Loved the ending. It was completely different than I was expecting so major kudos for that. I’m definitely interested to see what Lauren Miller writes next!


Friday 7 February 2014

The Dead and Buried by Kim Harrington

Publisher: Point
ISBN: 978-0545333023
Release Date: Jan 2013
Source: Purchased

This is published as The Killing of Kayla Sloane in the UK

A haunted house, a buried mystery, and a very angry ghost make this one unforgettable thriller.

Jade loves the house she's just moved into with her family. She doesn't even mind being the new girl at the high school: It's a fresh start, and there's that one guy with the dreamy blue eyes. . . . But then things begin happening. Strange, otherworldly things. Jade's little brother claims to see a glimmering girl in his room. Jade's jewelry gets moved around, as if by an invisible hand. Kids at school whisper behind her back like they know something she doesn't.

Soon, Jade must face an impossible fact: that her perfect house is haunted. Haunted by a ghost who's seeking not just vengeance, but the truth. The ghost of a girl who ruled Jade's school — until her untimely death last year. It's up to Jade to put the pieces together before her own life is at stake. As Jade investigates the mystery, she discovers that her new friends in town have more than a few deep, dark secrets. But is one of them a murderer?


I am a massive fan of Kim Harrington’s previous books (Clarity and Perception) so I knew I would be in good hands here. Anyone looking for a great ghost story need look no further!

This was quite creepy! I was surprised actually because I don’t usually get creeped out easily – I think it is the way the book is written – as a contemporary rather than a horror if that makes sense. It makes it all the more believable.

In addition to the creep factor we also get a really sweet and genuine romance – I really liked that element of the book. Plus I loved Jade – she is just brilliant! And I also really enjoyed the family dynamic that Jade has – and the issues they face and work to overcome.

Can’t wait to see what Kim Harringot writes next!

Saturday 1 February 2014

Crafting Corner (1)



I'm really excited to take part in Sarah's feature - I have recently discovered crochet and needle felting and love it!  I've been really enjoying it and I love that I can watch TV while doing it (TV shows on DVD are my other addiction!) - although I wouldn't recommend not paying attention when needle felting because those needles hurt if you miss your target!

So crochet wise I have been making quite a few blankets and toys.  Any of you who already follow me on Instagram have probably already seen these but this is some of what I've been up to...










And I've only been needle felting for a few weeks but it is so addictive!  I've spent hours looking at other peoples work and there are some AMAZING creations out there - if I could make anything even a tenth as good I'd be pleased!  If you want to see what I mean check out Sarafina Fiber Art!

Anyway these are my current needle felting creations...





So hopefully by next month I'll have some new bits and pieces to show you.  I have a couple of bits I'm working on so hopefully they'll be ready. 

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