tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14752799989435868302024-03-05T17:33:03.241-08:00Young & Un:BoundUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger70125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1475279998943586830.post-67923005346304427332012-05-25T11:02:00.000-07:002012-05-25T11:02:13.183-07:00Exciting News for two of our young reviewers!It's been a bit quiet here as most of our young reviewers are now in exam years. However I do have some exciting news.<br />
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A big congratulations to Zobdy and MJ, two of our young reviewers, who have had poems published recently.<br />
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MJ's poem, 'School', Zobdy's poem, 'Drifting Away', and Yvie's poem, 'My Love', are all recently published in the Young Writers anthology called 'Express Yourself Through Poetry - Heart of England'.<br />
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MJ's poem, 'Solomon's Story' is due to be published very soon in the Young Writers collection called 'Express Yourself - Leicestershire and Northamptonshire'.<br />
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<a href="http://www.youngwriters.co.uk/" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" target="_blank">www.youngwriters.co.uk</a><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">.</span> <br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1475279998943586830.post-4438100159900859062012-02-07T08:16:00.000-08:002012-02-07T08:16:00.249-08:00Tyme's End by B.R CollinsI don't really know what i think about Tyme's end by B.R. Collins. In some aspects it's really REALLY good but in some it's just creepy, insane and a little disturbing.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr3_NKR_PKoBM8rc8vmAcTC5YBkKyGelmnRNkQd6wYL3CIYp-j9-sQbENuc20VWrpbCWcaUbiG0LDaBHMW6MuJ5WM7clo5dJ3eLX13SadAcGJFqY8ZEY5Ci_EoYMeiDV1pBDKN-ZAV6hM-/s1600/Tymes+End.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr3_NKR_PKoBM8rc8vmAcTC5YBkKyGelmnRNkQd6wYL3CIYp-j9-sQbENuc20VWrpbCWcaUbiG0LDaBHMW6MuJ5WM7clo5dJ3eLX13SadAcGJFqY8ZEY5Ci_EoYMeiDV1pBDKN-ZAV6hM-/s320/Tymes+End.jpg" width="209" /></a></div><br />
I didn't really think it was very realistic either and it was kind of hard to follow. I started off, after reading the blurb, thinking it was going to be some sort of dramatic love story set in an old house (the old house thing automatically made me assume it was set quite a while back) to be honest that would have been the perfect book for me. However, the two characters who are supposed to fancy each other are 11 years apart. The girl is 16 and the guy is 27!!! I mean that's just wrong on so many levels, I mean in the real world, surely that would be considered creepy, or is it just me thinking that?! I also got a little confused by the swapping of the eras in it. Maybe it's one of those books that calls for being read several times? I thought the back story of Oliver was good and in actual fact i think that the story line could also be good if Oliver and Bibi didn't fancy each other . . . that's just weird. . .<br />
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I think the book is a good read if you are willing to look past some things that don't seem to fit, but i don't really think that the blurb does the book any justice.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1475279998943586830.post-80246015564587168502012-02-01T08:13:00.000-08:002012-02-01T08:13:00.134-08:00haunting violet by Alyxandra Harvey<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikFW995OIywxgAOUDFyJadHnD9Nl4L7pikDO6iEpHyHrlEYBrreHL4KMN6n0TcSEI7qRJ4QI7d3aTgpUJrPam2s2AwcEdqxkI2wuwWhL57h2VG050hCGsB46CX9vZKR9oarvGlj5XgcYbJ/s1600/Haunting+Violet+Cover+Image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikFW995OIywxgAOUDFyJadHnD9Nl4L7pikDO6iEpHyHrlEYBrreHL4KMN6n0TcSEI7qRJ4QI7d3aTgpUJrPam2s2AwcEdqxkI2wuwWhL57h2VG050hCGsB46CX9vZKR9oarvGlj5XgcYbJ/s320/Haunting+Violet+Cover+Image.jpg" width="209" /></a></div>Haunting violet was a very good book. I'll say right now it gets a 10/10 from me.<br />
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Violet’s mother is a scam artist. she pretends that she can communicate with ghosts and she forces Violet to take part.<br />
With elaborate tricks, Violet and her mother make a living off their innocent victims. Violet detests taking part in these deceptions however she has no choice.<br />
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Things start to get problematic though when Violet actually does start to see a ghost. The ghost of a young girl who was killed and who is looking for someone to find the truth and avenge her death. But can Violet solve the mystery before something dreadful happens again?<br />
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The book is set in Victorian times and so Violet has been told that she must marry into aristocracy to keep the family's good name. However there are 2 men for Violet to choose from. The rich, handsome Xavier or poor but true friend,Colin.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1475279998943586830.post-80573159834712268952012-01-25T08:11:00.000-08:002012-01-25T08:11:00.634-08:00Blood Feud & Out for blood By Alyxandra Harvey<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkw6H1AyfT20qBNN4kRafE5DaIZTMDks-Jxme7Pl3XFfU6rABwQn_rXQu_EkU0cEoRKjzGaCvl7ByjXFzd-2z7hmbKvZ88pTGGkBYuvjRgbUJrpQjOZykbHF-RzHh8DFF6Po1EUijncfYr/s1600/7457397.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkw6H1AyfT20qBNN4kRafE5DaIZTMDks-Jxme7Pl3XFfU6rABwQn_rXQu_EkU0cEoRKjzGaCvl7ByjXFzd-2z7hmbKvZ88pTGGkBYuvjRgbUJrpQjOZykbHF-RzHh8DFF6Po1EUijncfYr/s1600/7457397.jpg" /></a></div>Blood Feud and Out for Blood are the 2nd and 3rd books in the Drake Chronicles. In Blood feud, The Drakes’ mother has just been crowned queen of the vampires and so politics are a mess. The story mainly follows Logan Drake. Logan's love for Isabeau, a French vampire with a dark and troubled past, often finds him in some sort of trouble.<br />
In out for blood, it follows Hunter, who lives up to her name. She attends a vampire hunting academy. Hunter is prepared for everything and anything that comes her way. Everything, that is until she goes and falls in love with one of the drake brothers............<br />
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I thought that both of these books were amazing and made great sequel to My Love Lies Bleeding, which is the first in the series.<br />
I'd recommend to it to anyone who is into the vampire world. I think it’s mainly aimed for girls aged 13+Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1475279998943586830.post-59014270685135660602012-01-21T08:11:00.000-08:002012-01-21T08:11:09.385-08:00Tempest Rising - Tracy Deebs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7r_MO4bZ21f96D22XehNpTqxv05JucywgfOA-LyDHK29chmZQiVNmlMnMO17vsnkawd6H7n0nRRpd1Q0y7pqVjEXEyk1u_rKEVjG-Pbwp3H-i9Mtjayeiig0v7N8NkyXcV4lH7PHR_lI-/s1600/tempestrising.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7r_MO4bZ21f96D22XehNpTqxv05JucywgfOA-LyDHK29chmZQiVNmlMnMO17vsnkawd6H7n0nRRpd1Q0y7pqVjEXEyk1u_rKEVjG-Pbwp3H-i9Mtjayeiig0v7N8NkyXcV4lH7PHR_lI-/s320/tempestrising.JPG" width="212" /></a></div>Mermaids are up there with fairies and dragons as creatures that i can't seem to keep away from. When I started to read this book I thought i would love it and it may even make my top 10 favourite books, but I'm sad to say that didn't happen.<br />
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There was a lot of stuff I liked in the book but mainly I didn't think it was the best. It's not a bad book, no not at all, but i don't really think it was anything to rave over.<br />
Also, when I'm reading a book with romance in, I like certain things to happen between the two characters that the romance is between however, the romance was not to my liking at all considering the circumstances.<br />
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I think the writing style slowed down the story a lot and i found that half way through it started to get rather tedious.<br />
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There are good things though, so far my review has sounded rather negative but that's not because it was a bad book, only that it was merely average.<br />
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I did like the idea of the story a lot. I think that mermaid mythology is touched on quite often these days but i felt that Tempest rising had a modern take on the myths. My saying that as praise is rare as I'm more of a traditionalist and I'm not a big fan of modern takes on things however i felt that it worked in Tempest Rising and it made for a nice read. If i was to rate the book out of 10, i think I'd give in 6.5 - or 7 if I'm stretching it.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1475279998943586830.post-73533530759925465962011-10-10T09:43:00.000-07:002011-10-10T09:46:19.409-07:00Press Release | Moonlands by Steven Savile<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ysPEMJyvvzk4JPabBYFzDvZEf2LZoAOq-_dHX5x2KWAo7zuMgJRQSi7zs4vubNgwVLgLMuBkY0U1EpCxXQW50lp-LnJRrTw2Y636UAU191lMZcil24aevcnaPfCQX9Wxc-8lSlYdLZj9/s1600/MD+Ep+1+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ysPEMJyvvzk4JPabBYFzDvZEf2LZoAOq-_dHX5x2KWAo7zuMgJRQSi7zs4vubNgwVLgLMuBkY0U1EpCxXQW50lp-LnJRrTw2Y636UAU191lMZcil24aevcnaPfCQX9Wxc-8lSlYdLZj9/s320/MD+Ep+1+Cover.jpg" width="171" /></a></div>I've been sent the official press pack for the Moonlands Diaries which I reviewed in the previous post. I loved it and think you will too<br />
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<i>Has an eerie feeling in the air ever teased chills from your spine? Have you been deep in thought and suddenly shifted topic entirely, unable to explain why? Is it possible, at least once in your life, you had to look twice to verify what you saw? Then it's possible you've been a part of it already.</i><br />
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Welcome to London - the magical city where all is not as it seems. Where the unexpected is expected by those who know to look for it. Ashley Hawthorne has lived here all her life and like everyone else who's grown used to the city, it holds no special meaning to her. That is, until that fated day she is willed an odd looking key - a key that not only unlocks her past, but her present and future as well. Suddenly, boring old London is turned into an otherworldly labyrinth where her first step could be her last. With frightening creatures intent on tracking her down and strangers who claim to have known her all her life, how can a teenager who doesn't even know who she is, hope to survive the dangers that await?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij1sdzV7QZPgI53hcoPNQInI48ICqWKU3_wTsLqTVY_ZOMrylfRMX4coZMzgdHOpkoToGrhLH5Bk0k4YTMJcdOuz-4bmraPgVEc2aPbMRHk5X0319M9l7uu-CeL24D8UIuPNl7zc7kEQeB/s1600/Ashley+Hawthorne.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij1sdzV7QZPgI53hcoPNQInI48ICqWKU3_wTsLqTVY_ZOMrylfRMX4coZMzgdHOpkoToGrhLH5Bk0k4YTMJcdOuz-4bmraPgVEc2aPbMRHk5X0319M9l7uu-CeL24D8UIuPNl7zc7kEQeB/s320/Ashley+Hawthorne.jpg" width="251" /></a></div><i>"Savile's newest work symbolizes the spirit of Young Adult adventure reading! Bold and unexpected - Moonland Diaries is a thrilling read for everyone who needs a break from the mundane. Savile proves he can write anything he wishes."</i><br />
<i>- Ashley Knight, author of Fins & Fathom</i><br />
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Foxrain AB teams up with bestselling fantasy author Steven Savile for the epic and groundbreaking multimedia reading experience, Moonland Diaries. The project, which will initially launch as a series of richly illustrated novels, will be supplemented online, with apps and other exciting developments that take advantage of modern technology to give the most immersive experience imaginable.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO1I4lLO7CAnQcD2BUmvSKIdkxQOhpcDg2-PdYuHVRp-aFZB35ERq86kV_rSdAseLZyYxCZmZefULJzA2F9S3cMDKC6ZOgaLY5kuUQtKRuTI8ZHRtWoUvSH60TLQdnn0kUGy6dtgpQoK1G/s1600/Through+the+gate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO1I4lLO7CAnQcD2BUmvSKIdkxQOhpcDg2-PdYuHVRp-aFZB35ERq86kV_rSdAseLZyYxCZmZefULJzA2F9S3cMDKC6ZOgaLY5kuUQtKRuTI8ZHRtWoUvSH60TLQdnn0kUGy6dtgpQoK1G/s320/Through+the+gate.jpg" width="246" /></a></div>The Moonland Diaries takes place in modern day London, but as the heroine fifteen-year-old Ashley Hawthorne soon discovers it’s a world quite different from the one we are all so familiar with. The city holds ancient gates and passages to the Moonlands – a world that is both fantasticly beautiful and deeply sinister. When wolf-like creatures enter our world through the gates, intent on killing Ashley, these two worlds collide. She is forced on a wild and terrifying adventure that could cost Ashley her life as well as her heart.<br />
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“The Moonland Diaries is a wonderful project that perfectly encapsulates the ethos of Foxrain. The company is all about telling classic stories of fantasy and horror, but with contemporary and completely unique take on them, both thematically and in terms of delivery. Readers will be able to experience the Moonland Diaries across all media platforms, making it the ultimate storytelling experience for the smartphone generation. To be able to create this universe together with a brilliant and versatile writer like Steve is nothing less than a dream coming true.” Says Foxrain CEO Michael Stenmark.<br />
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“I was drawn to Foxrain for Moonland Diaries because it was immediately obvious we shared a common belief that stories can (and in this day and age should) transcend traditional paper and ink, and even e-ink, into completely immersive universes. As a writer it’s a wonderful feeling to watch other incredibly talented artists and developers run with the ideas in your head and create wonderful rich imagery that just makes everything feel more alive,” Steve explains.<br />
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Foxrain AB is a publisher of primarily children’s and young adult fiction based in Stockholm Sweden-<br />
Steve Savile is a multiple award-winning and bestselling British fantasy writer living in Stockholm Sweden.<br />
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<a href="http://www.moonlanddiaries.com/">www.moonlanddiaries.com</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1475279998943586830.post-51873222088196082392011-10-01T07:35:00.000-07:002011-10-01T07:35:00.210-07:00Moonlands | Steven Savile<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: 300; line-height: 24px;"></span><br />
<div style="font-style: inherit; font: normal normal normal 15px/normal 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.625; margin-bottom: 1.625em;">Moonlands<br style="font-style: inherit; font: normal normal normal 15px/normal 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.625;" />by Steven Savile</div><div style="font-style: inherit; font: normal normal normal 15px/normal 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.625; margin-bottom: 1.625em;">This is part one of a four part story. That in itself is deeply, hugely frustrating, because it's good and it ends on a cliffhanger.</div><div style="font-style: inherit; font: normal normal normal 15px/normal 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.625; margin-bottom: 1.625em;">Traitors Heir (the full story) focusses on a girl in our world with no idea who or what she is, a wolfen sent to finish her before she can claim her kingdom and the selection of strange, supposedly long dead characters who have been guarding her in secret her whole life.</div><div style="font-style: inherit; font: normal normal normal 15px/normal 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.625; margin-bottom: 1.625em;">I can't tell you much more than that without giving too much away and after all only part one is available right now, part two should be released in November. IT display's Savile's ever present feel for character and adventure but contains more warmth and humour than has been characteristic for him lately. The move into YA seems to have been simple and natural. It's still dark in places and definitely mysterious, but a swift entertaining read suggesting that when complete Traitors Heir is going to deliver an excellent YA story full of courage and adventure, humour and a little blood.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1475279998943586830.post-45413751503351829472011-09-28T06:00:00.000-07:002011-09-28T06:00:10.707-07:00Guardian of the Gate | Michelle Zink<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI48H4P9YwUnjt7rAMyct9F2CigBXFgEwvd54U6c8poMe-KBjcUdF1_AqzXdT_dJdEM8dtIqe-IIyvAre6LQYPjjRJyfxO6QMaHLCeyFV-2nRJOG_c38UhQ5B3Rdc0UWtf9uC8HexfE-jK/s1600/images+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI48H4P9YwUnjt7rAMyct9F2CigBXFgEwvd54U6c8poMe-KBjcUdF1_AqzXdT_dJdEM8dtIqe-IIyvAre6LQYPjjRJyfxO6QMaHLCeyFV-2nRJOG_c38UhQ5B3Rdc0UWtf9uC8HexfE-jK/s1600/images+%25281%2529.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;">Guardian of the Gate by Michelle Zink was the second book in the ‘prophecy of the sisters’ trilogy.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;">It follows the story of 16 year old <span> </span>Lia Milthorpe as she and her friends try and find a way to end the prophecy of the sisters. The prophecy determines that either Lia or Lia’s sister<i>will </i>be defeated. Both of them have known this from the beginning of the book, but it’s a question of which one of them will survive? The Guardian? Or the Gate?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;">Although it was an enjoyable read, I found parts of it difficult to follow as there were lots of references to the first book (which I haven’t read) and I think that the first book told you things about the main character, Lia, and her sister, Alice, that were quite important to the second book.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;">All in all though it was a really good book, defiantly read it, but I would say read the first one to start with.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1475279998943586830.post-25693931618461162742011-09-27T10:43:00.001-07:002011-09-27T10:43:37.136-07:00Book Trailer | Nancy Tillman 'The Crown on your Head'<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/__4JNuQUegI" width="560"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1475279998943586830.post-45378321582819083202011-03-01T09:35:00.000-08:002011-03-01T09:35:21.380-08:00My Love Lies Bleeding | Alyxandra Harvey<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUhE79Xw24o4XFuidMEOt0mMgLnnN-_oKI2XMrVUiXd-nyi-ptGH-H0bCvQAexUyjR007YBI4jznPdyLZwwX318wnt4e4AVJvxOOhPTa5HyM6OEyTO3hpd_sKJP9W32bkY_MeghZtyAFnW/s1600/my+love+lies+bleeding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUhE79Xw24o4XFuidMEOt0mMgLnnN-_oKI2XMrVUiXd-nyi-ptGH-H0bCvQAexUyjR007YBI4jznPdyLZwwX318wnt4e4AVJvxOOhPTa5HyM6OEyTO3hpd_sKJP9W32bkY_MeghZtyAFnW/s320/my+love+lies+bleeding.jpg" width="209" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">(in the US released as 'Hearts at Stake'.)</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">My love lies bleeding by Alyxandra Harvey is the first book in the Drake chronicles. It follows the story of Solange, the only female vampire ever born, not initiated. Solange has known from day 1 that she was a vampire and has always known that one day, near to her 16<sup>th</sup> birthday, she would die…..and then awake again, with fangs, a thirst for blood, and dangerous. But Solange is in danger, other vampire tribes want her blood in their lineage, Vampire hunters want to kill her, and there’s a weird stalker vampire who wants to marry her . . . . . He doesn’t even really know her by the way.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">But very close to the time when she is about to turn deadly, she is kidnapped. It’s up to her brothers and her best friend, Lucy, to save her. However, Lucy has a major crush on one of Solange’s brothers, Nicholas, who is really hot but how could it work out between a mortal and a Vampire?</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This book is really good and I’d rate it 9 / 10.<span> </span>It took a while for me to get into it but I’m glad that I finally did. There are 3 books in The Drake Chronicles out so far, the second is ‘Blood Feud’ and the third, ‘Out for Blood’.<span> </span>Apparently, the fourth one is coming out in November, but I don’t want to wait that long! :(</span></span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> Pom Pom</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1475279998943586830.post-36564420818422976582011-03-01T09:01:00.000-08:002011-03-01T09:01:59.025-08:00Maxine Linnell ReadingBack in November as part of the wonderful Everybody's Reading Festival, Maxine Linnell came and did a reading from her Young Adult novel Vintage, for the younger reviewers from Young & Un:Bound, and me, because I love the book.<br />
Here are a few pictures from the day.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh299LZ4Xj83arc5Ip8MKhzVLS7IfUHmdRqXVc4gp2CzWngqzl-wjE3HBrj7GCiQ_bayXUjXsBkGnlNk_hkJRq2Pp0F-DQQYWTPPq7u28up0nukwZwSiRb7TZuy3x8aAN55JaPXPLQJCekz/s1600/IMG_5821-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh299LZ4Xj83arc5Ip8MKhzVLS7IfUHmdRqXVc4gp2CzWngqzl-wjE3HBrj7GCiQ_bayXUjXsBkGnlNk_hkJRq2Pp0F-DQQYWTPPq7u28up0nukwZwSiRb7TZuy3x8aAN55JaPXPLQJCekz/s320/IMG_5821-11.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA_7dgGwk4SvfdFHJSzqscB0BxjLsbW61yOExe_VvwOf8jOQ9uyfEstaqW2lIoMXz1b3H8Qn11ahsiKOhAWI16ie_XUDO98r5NyxP2Ptf87eNiGeDOqPGnvDfUCBWrRzqifeKJp1XFwTFf/s1600/IMG_5832-12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA_7dgGwk4SvfdFHJSzqscB0BxjLsbW61yOExe_VvwOf8jOQ9uyfEstaqW2lIoMXz1b3H8Qn11ahsiKOhAWI16ie_XUDO98r5NyxP2Ptf87eNiGeDOqPGnvDfUCBWrRzqifeKJp1XFwTFf/s320/IMG_5832-12.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdA514CivxxtUrLRif3t_pA6IF5eEOrxnqoI4IDKE9jRxB-rx-ho5gCEmyFSNUNyL9dSUaGkQuiN4kzT1jEhUvXJ8hIHDcWOL1nCUqzHU0AhnMICG9IgUqCACd97BEPCqRO8ea5hkH3_j5/s1600/IMG_5843-13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdA514CivxxtUrLRif3t_pA6IF5eEOrxnqoI4IDKE9jRxB-rx-ho5gCEmyFSNUNyL9dSUaGkQuiN4kzT1jEhUvXJ8hIHDcWOL1nCUqzHU0AhnMICG9IgUqCACd97BEPCqRO8ea5hkH3_j5/s320/IMG_5843-13.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8s0fufdla9C5IgxLrp6jdwRPjBGNpcD2biHFc4S4HV7JqJ4hrO_LVgZ3rCpn4mBKbS8gSq_0OnStlbZt2EbW-QSioHlSZbosJCoIDJMx1SqjCGyvjwbdtzBG5S1MnGShrdeYPlTVKqwUO/s1600/IMG_5845-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8s0fufdla9C5IgxLrp6jdwRPjBGNpcD2biHFc4S4HV7JqJ4hrO_LVgZ3rCpn4mBKbS8gSq_0OnStlbZt2EbW-QSioHlSZbosJCoIDJMx1SqjCGyvjwbdtzBG5S1MnGShrdeYPlTVKqwUO/s320/IMG_5845-14.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1475279998943586830.post-77858295805950421092011-01-28T06:00:00.000-08:002011-01-28T06:00:16.253-08:00The Dead of Winter | Chris Priestly<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOI0PPdbuGlwSxaPkmVmigUxl97mK-clqlMj5gsTPxMLCSElnENjB2PsbuyaeibP0uon-QmaNiATEB45TY5t8_enP_vSiI85ooqDp_REPxu-TGt_rMgqKZ6lixCMmybgAj2VhIf1rCpn3Q/s1600/Dead+of+winter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOI0PPdbuGlwSxaPkmVmigUxl97mK-clqlMj5gsTPxMLCSElnENjB2PsbuyaeibP0uon-QmaNiATEB45TY5t8_enP_vSiI85ooqDp_REPxu-TGt_rMgqKZ6lixCMmybgAj2VhIf1rCpn3Q/s320/Dead+of+winter.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>The Dead Of Winter is about a boy named Michael who’s mother has just died so is sent to live with Sir Stephen, the man whose life was saved by Michael’s father. Michael would rather his father was alive than Sir Stephen. When he gets to Sir Stephen’s house, where he lives with his sister Charlotte and a few servants, he notices things aren’t right. He sees and hears things that shouldn’t be there and, despite what everyone says, something is definitely wrong with Sir Stephen.<br />
<br />
I enjoyed reading this book. I’d recommend it to people who like mystery, ghosts and to get a little scared at times. It is filled with suspense. It doesn’t take long to read because it is fairly short and keeps you interested.<br />
<br />
By Zobdy<br />
Age 14Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1475279998943586830.post-20743824498561241462011-01-26T06:00:00.000-08:002011-01-26T06:00:15.609-08:00The Fallen 1: The Fallen & Leviathan | Thomas E. Sniegoski<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh73s7CMyIvdwZkQ4AC_ZbgWlv_gqtcK4jU5j_YAkRhXtuqYWpcJV2Ut2ZgPfOf4yRXHaXsco5f-K6ZW5iysTCEFEKFMuHkWwUP5lxe-1T1Ud_aaf83DlBtj1BqIzJKZnxs__9YBfo3E1pg/s1600/fallen12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh73s7CMyIvdwZkQ4AC_ZbgWlv_gqtcK4jU5j_YAkRhXtuqYWpcJV2Ut2ZgPfOf4yRXHaXsco5f-K6ZW5iysTCEFEKFMuHkWwUP5lxe-1T1Ud_aaf83DlBtj1BqIzJKZnxs__9YBfo3E1pg/s320/fallen12.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>The book is the first two stories in The Fallen series. They are about a boy called Aaron who lives with a foster family which he loves and cares for. On his eighteenth birthday, just when he thinks his life might be going somewhere, things seem strange; he finds he can do things he couldn’t do before, like understanding anything anyone says in any language - even his dog. Reluctantly, he discovers he is a nephilim (the child of an angel and a human woman). And not just any nephilim, the chosen one that, according to prophecy, will redeem the fallen angels and become a gateway between them and heaven.<br />
<br />
Aaron wants nothing to do with any of this. He just wants to forget everything and carry on with his life as it was before but Verchiel, the leader of a group of angels called the Powers, won’t let him. He believes he is doing God’s work by cleansing the Earth of the unholy nephilim but he also fears the prophecy. He doesn’t think it is right that the fallen should be redeemed and will do anything to stop that from happening. Aaron is forced to accept what he is when Verchiel’s obsession endangers everything near and dear to him.<br />
<br />
A very good action filled book. An interesting alternative to vampires. I suggest that you don’t put it down and leave it for a while before carrying on like I did because, when I did that, I got a little confused. Overall, pretty good and I would like to read the next one in the series.<br />
By Zobdy<br />
Age 14Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1475279998943586830.post-90443322376186934402011-01-24T09:46:00.000-08:002011-01-24T09:46:53.645-08:00Obernewtyn | Isobelle Carmody<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKwi9TXy9Au4KYurzsgqCjraJ6TbTU0cRjbM9ZIZ_mL5bne6jo7njxb1kNvA_zk1h-ShPcA_hFXIWMoMbZYmTkp_hg8hRPnyT2YQih2JE55d7wuAIT-Rptz5FMTpsnzhMDwZCXavIKKNSJ/s1600/9780140178548.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKwi9TXy9Au4KYurzsgqCjraJ6TbTU0cRjbM9ZIZ_mL5bne6jo7njxb1kNvA_zk1h-ShPcA_hFXIWMoMbZYmTkp_hg8hRPnyT2YQih2JE55d7wuAIT-Rptz5FMTpsnzhMDwZCXavIKKNSJ/s320/9780140178548.jpg" width="193" /></a></div>It is set in what I have assumed to be the fairly near future. A sort of natural disaster called the Great White has causes civilisation as we know it to break down and a new culture has grown. They call God Lud and the council has complete control. The Great White still affects the people; most of the land is uninhabitable and even to go near certain parts could be deadly and sometimes people are born with special powers. The council burned these people before any of their evilness could rub off on anyone else. Unfortunately for the council, not all of these gifts are noticeable from birth; they develop as they get older. The council decided against burning people who had already been accepted into the community so they call them misfits and send them to Obernewtyn, a sanctuary hidden in the mountains.<br />
<br />
The main character is an orphan girl called Elspeth Gordie. She is a misfit and is trying desperately to keep it hidden but they find out and sent her to Obernewtyn. When she gets there, she realises that there are lots of things that don’t make sense and a few of the other misfits are very strange. With the help of a couple of friends, she sets out to discover the truth behind Obernewtyn.<br />
<br />
To be honest, I didn’t really understand the plot. Elspeth is supposed to be different from the other misfits in some way but I’m not entirely sure how and I don’t understand the attitude of all the misfits at Obernewtyn. They are all very secretive and don’t talk to each other which confused me because I thought, since they had already been caught, they didn’t need to hide anymore.<br />
<br />
I enjoyed the end of the book but, up until there, I was really struggling to read it. The story seemed to drag and there was nothing happening. Also, it was like I didn’t know things I should have, like a chapter explaining things had been missed out somewhere. I understood that I should only know what Elspeth knew but I didn’t even understand the things that Elspeth was constantly referring to. Maybe it was supposed to be part of the whole mystery of the thing but it didn’t work for me. I like books that don’t necessarily have to be full of action, but with suspense and mystery in them, but I felt that this was taken so far that I didn’t really have a clue about what I should have known about. Like I said, I enjoyed the end but I don’t think I’ll be looking for the next in the series any time soon. Maybe I’m wrong, I should read the next one because it explains everything I’m confused about? But that’s just my opinion, decide for yourself.<br />
<br />
Zobdy<br />
Age 14Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1475279998943586830.post-63727701111413959922010-12-29T10:25:00.000-08:002010-12-29T10:25:31.514-08:00Behemoth | Scott Westerfeld<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1i_37EpYdhBVIRzWuS0bhezUNAa_DAC2yArbQlM7TJFQOjTiLKG2Ly8q-k8ir21VP7wGZlT6zZ5Fhv9V16FK47iumFLVrsyBT02OWHTLgWD9HdztJa3fN6JSR6adP6WpqUJlpSyK0VN8l/s1600/behemoth_thumb%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1i_37EpYdhBVIRzWuS0bhezUNAa_DAC2yArbQlM7TJFQOjTiLKG2Ly8q-k8ir21VP7wGZlT6zZ5Fhv9V16FK47iumFLVrsyBT02OWHTLgWD9HdztJa3fN6JSR6adP6WpqUJlpSyK0VN8l/s1600/behemoth_thumb%255B1%255D.jpg" /></a></div>Potential Spoilers if you haven't read the first book in the series.<br />
<br />
For all that haven’t read the first book:<br />
<br />
This is the second book of an exciting adventure fantasy based on World War One about war between two types of people; one that uses machines and one that uses fabricated animals for everything.<br />
<br />
This continues the story of our two main characters, twelve year old Alek, who was on the machine side and was the Arch Duke of Austria-Hungary. He was taken away by his teachers to protect him when his parents were killed. Deryn was on the animal’s side and was pretending to be a boy so that she could join the air service.<br />
<br />
The Leviathan is a giant, flying, fabricated whale with guns on top (a war ship).<br />
In this book it is heading for the Ottoman empire with Alek and Deryn on board, and they meet some clankers on the way.<br />
They’re heading straight for an empire of trouble, with only one family in the empire they can trust.<br />
<br />
This is extremely action packed with quite a few surprises all mixed up into one super book!<br />
<br />
There is a new type of weapon invented by Mr Tesla, a radio inventor!<br />
The war’s still going on and Alek has adopted a ‘pet’.<br />
<br />
I give this book a 10/10 for suspense!<br />
<br />
By MJ, aged 11<br />
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P.S. if you want to see the review for the leviathan you'll find it under the Scott Westerfeld labelUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1475279998943586830.post-12304191710688382162010-11-05T09:57:00.000-07:002010-11-05T09:57:10.770-07:00The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTSzexUB5MAHVplvHMHpCEJgHaet1KZfbnXS02b9qaT5u2ScH9n7Gtwq9V8mkDJAcJ0-AfidzLKnD2y8NYgWLvyHinKBPC0dIN8mOr_PvR5buBoL2RnCwPBA6hgiUZhAHpM3Cg5Rqvv_wX/s1600/n312401.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTSzexUB5MAHVplvHMHpCEJgHaet1KZfbnXS02b9qaT5u2ScH9n7Gtwq9V8mkDJAcJ0-AfidzLKnD2y8NYgWLvyHinKBPC0dIN8mOr_PvR5buBoL2RnCwPBA6hgiUZhAHpM3Cg5Rqvv_wX/s320/n312401.jpg" width="198" /></a></div><br />
This book is set in what I think it our world, maybe the future? It doesn’t specify. But, wherever it is, things are not going well. Cities have huge walls around them to protect them from the infected out in the forest. The infected are people that have been bitten by other infected people. When someone gets bitten, the infection kills them and they come back as either breakers or mudo (different types of infected) depending on the circumstances. When they return, they don’t remember anything about their past lives. All they do is try to infect other people who have no option but to kill them.<br />
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The main character is a girl called Gabry who starts the story by climbing over the wall with her friends. She is having the time of her life because the boy she likes (her best friend, Cira’s, brother, Catcher) has just told her he likes her and kissed her for the first time but it all goes wrong when a breaker crashes the party. Some of the kids become infected and the rest get caught for going over the wall. Catcher gets bitten but, as it is only a small bite, it will take a few days before he turns. He doesn’t want to infect the rest of the city so he hides in the forest waiting to turn. Gabry is scared so runs away which means she doesn’t get caught with her friends. She vows to find Catcher and to free Cira.<br />
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I love the whole concept and, at the beginning, I loved the story. I loved finding out about Gabry’s past but I got frustrated and began to hate her by the end because she changes her mind completely. There’s someone she loves who would do anything for her and she randomly decides to like someone else but still leads him on. Also, it wasn’t as scary as the cover and blurb suggest. I didn’t really find it scary at all. Maybe that’s because I didn’t feel that the infected and their attacks were described in enough detail to scare me. Despite that, I still really want to read the sequel.<br />
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By Zobdy<br />
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Age 13Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1475279998943586830.post-77445976106222556592010-11-05T09:54:00.000-07:002010-11-05T09:54:28.382-07:00Dark Secrets 3: The Back Door Of Midnight by Elizabeth ChandlerIt is the third in the Dark Secrets series. I have read Dark Secrets 2. It doesn’t make a difference whether you have already read any of the previous books because they each have individual, unrelated stories with different characters. The first two have two stories in but the third one has one.<br />
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The story in Dark Secrets 3 is called The Back Door Of Midnight. The main character is a girl called Anna who has a complicated family history. Her mother, Joanna, was taken in by her aunt and uncle (Anna’s great aunt and uncle) when she was pregnant with Anna. Her aunt and uncle are called Iris and Will and are brother and sister. Joanna was murdered when Anna was three so Anna was adopted by Kathryn who she thinks of as her mum. She has a seven year old adopted brother called Jack and six year old adopted twin sisters called Claire and Grace.<br />
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Uncle Will invites Anna to stay with him and Aunt Iris but when she gets there she discovers that he has died in between sending the letter and her getting there. Everyone thinks that it was a simple accident but something doesn’t feel right to Anna. That added with Aunt Iris talking to Uncle Will as if he’s still there and local boy Zack seeming to know more than he’s letting on makes her look around to find out what really happened that night.<br />
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Like Dark Secrets 3 it was impossible to guess what had actually happened. I had a thousand theories buzzing around my head but none of them were right. I couldn’t wait until I could read some more to add more clues so I could try and work out the mystery. But the, more I read, the more options seemed possible and it was only at the end when I knew what had really happened. I couldn’t put it down and loved it to bits especially the last page.<br />
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By ZobdyUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1475279998943586830.post-44818147929380476152010-09-28T11:39:00.000-07:002010-09-28T11:39:43.722-07:00The Unit | Terry DeHart<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Ex0ZasjVQvXRxiAA5N0rHnroSYHPFicYhC_jlxGyrom1-aohbvZnE7ResmIA2Moc9b25TaeUGmuCuVgXUZCoudc4xLhoEYPxMPMth8wgTWGkvw7XJHAi4NULQ5vZQCoVB32BozOGzyX5/s1600/340x_dehart_the-unit-tp1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Ex0ZasjVQvXRxiAA5N0rHnroSYHPFicYhC_jlxGyrom1-aohbvZnE7ResmIA2Moc9b25TaeUGmuCuVgXUZCoudc4xLhoEYPxMPMth8wgTWGkvw7XJHAi4NULQ5vZQCoVB32BozOGzyX5/s320/340x_dehart_the-unit-tp1.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>The Unit by Terry DeHart<br />
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The Unit, is set just after a nuclear war; a time when there is no one you can trust except your family. Jerry, his wife, Susan, and his nearly adult children, Melanie and Scotty, are left with nothing except just enough food to keep them alive for a short while, four guns (though Melanie refuses to carry one), each other and a determination to survive.<br />
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Jerry just wants to protect his family and he’ll shoot anyone that threatens them. Susan wants her children safe and out of this mess. Melanie is trying to stand up for what she believes in. She won’t carry a gun and she’s desperate for this to end. Scotty was saved so now he plans to fight for what’s right and he plans on shooting anyone who gets in his way.<br />
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Bill and his gang, on the other hand, were locked up in a juvenile detention centre but the power went out and the guards left. They’ve found that everything is for the taking - if you’re strong enough to hold onto it.<br />
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It’s a tough book in every sense of the word. It’s not exactly an enjoyable read but I felt compelled to carry on anyway. I had to know what would happen to them. I hated Bill but cared a lot for the family, particularly Melanie. It was impossible to predict how it would end until I actually got there. Worth a look but don’t go in expecting a happy story. I definitely would not recommend it to under fourteens.<br />
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By Zobdy<br />
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Age 13Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1475279998943586830.post-25804392677064653092010-09-02T06:00:00.000-07:002010-09-02T06:00:09.646-07:00Hex Hall | Rachel Hawkins<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKslO7TYxLEPaIPZMPOV4yi_zk19jlLMm7KY7F17cnPyqJ316d7jIbU_HHFdRLg78usNcg05hAH_FseBc9NnoHFF7_Gqv6SphywyqX5KPFCVki65IRD2Trfmno_pRH4VpNvgigQQWjH3jk/s1600/hex.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 162px; height: 251px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKslO7TYxLEPaIPZMPOV4yi_zk19jlLMm7KY7F17cnPyqJ316d7jIbU_HHFdRLg78usNcg05hAH_FseBc9NnoHFF7_Gqv6SphywyqX5KPFCVki65IRD2Trfmno_pRH4VpNvgigQQWjH3jk/s320/hex.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512013222530665282" border="0" /></a>When young witch, Sophie Mercer, makes one magical mistake too many, she is sent off to Hecate Hall,<br />a reform school for magical beings. This sets the scene for a teenage adventure story.<br /><br />In this book, no matter how bad the situation is, teenagers still manage to be, well, teenagers.<br />While an evil creature is attacking and even killing fellow students, the characters still find time to fall in<br />love, bicker over boyfriends and fall out.<br /><br />As the story draws towards a climax however, Sophie is forced to put all this to one side to clear<br />her best friend’s name. Yet all the while, she is walking into a trap herself, and surely, it is only a matter<br />of time before the trap snaps shut.<br /><br />An interesting read for all teenage girls.<br /><br />Wombat – 11Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1475279998943586830.post-12912640238467051812010-09-01T10:45:00.000-07:002010-09-01T10:48:15.776-07:00The Graveyard Book | Neil Gaiman<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKsW3ATlPOemEPgjQ-NC3kk9M6-iwaXOSHUbJn4qo7T2urwmG6VcV0p9VN752Zkavzk7juWbABYjlnoyFa7iqW0X_2tiAlQh57wD5bHnYBV6T2280wjaLg9XTVb5mlbS8mefXcbsX7vwhI/s1600/graveyard-book.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 250px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKsW3ATlPOemEPgjQ-NC3kk9M6-iwaXOSHUbJn4qo7T2urwmG6VcV0p9VN752Zkavzk7juWbABYjlnoyFa7iqW0X_2tiAlQh57wD5bHnYBV6T2280wjaLg9XTVb5mlbS8mefXcbsX7vwhI/s320/graveyard-book.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512003329379170130" border="0" /></a>The main character is called Nobody Owens; known as Bod. When he was a baby, his family was killed. Bod managed to escape being killed and ended up in the graveyard where all the graveyard folk (the dead) care for him. They call him Nobody because they decided that he looks like nobody but himself.<br /><br />Throughout the book, Bod gets into a lot of scrapes but, with the help of his friends and adopted family, just about manages to get out of most of them. Until he faces the hardest challenge ever thrown at him – the man who murdered his family. But he must learn to stand on his own two feet if he ever wants to be ready for the world outside the graveyard.<br /><br />I was sucked in from page one. In the opening, it describes a knife then goes on to talk about the man holding it. It’s an extremely descriptive and captivating opening. My school librarian and several of my friends agree with me. I felt everything Bod felt. I loved everything and everyone he loved and hated the things and people he did. I desperately wanted it to end happily for him. I loved the idea of a boy living and growing up in a graveyard with the dead as his friends and family. Despite its title, this book is not scary. To Bod, the graveyard is his home filled with people (well, dead people) he loves.<br /><br />By Zobdy<br /><br />Age 13Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1475279998943586830.post-89653734790502609152010-08-14T10:58:00.000-07:002010-08-14T10:58:00.494-07:00Midnighters: The Secret Hour by Scott Westerfeld<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7MEVBgCKjB-5-LwGy3r03o2egH1p_GNQMMv58Keeg7AdR1g50WLHano_kcSFST_653kMu0yDTbZ0W-S1IENM_BG32rcDAmfu6gzqz4HXoN0sNqqGy51AuQv4zk-6-WAEmn4QoHz1I90jv/s1600/9780060519537.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 224px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7MEVBgCKjB-5-LwGy3r03o2egH1p_GNQMMv58Keeg7AdR1g50WLHano_kcSFST_653kMu0yDTbZ0W-S1IENM_BG32rcDAmfu6gzqz4HXoN0sNqqGy51AuQv4zk-6-WAEmn4QoHz1I90jv/s320/9780060519537.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504955984992869298" border="0" /></a>Midnighters is written by the same person as the Uglies series. It’s about a girl called Jessica Day who moves to Bixby from Chicago with her mum, dad and younger sister, Beth.<br /><br />When she arrives in Bixby, things are a little strange but soon she discovers that it’s because she’s a midnighter. Midnighters are the select few people who are born within a second of midnight. They alone can live in the secret hour between midnight and one. But for some reason, this only happens in Bixby. Jess can’t enjoy it though because the darklings and slithers (the creatures who live in the secret hour) keep attacking her for no reason she can understand. The other midnighters try to help her. They all have a special power but Jess doesn’t seem to have one.<br /><br />Jess is on a journey of discovery as she tries to understand this secret world that she has become a part of. The first half of the book seemed to drag a little and the story didn’t move on as fast as I might have liked. But the second half was worth the wait because it was interesting and exciting and I couldn’t put it down. It shows you all of the characters’ points of view and how everything affects them, and it makes you care about what happens to them. Definitely worth a look if you’re prepared to work through the first half.<br /><br /><br />By Zobdy<br /><br />Age 13Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1475279998943586830.post-13411212170178500042010-08-13T10:55:00.000-07:002010-08-13T10:57:55.601-07:00RelaunchOk folks, there are changes afoot on Young & Un:Bound. We have had a wonderful new logo designed and will be revealing a new look. This is all happening in October, the relaunch will tie in with Everybody's Reading in Leicester where we are having a bit of a gathering at Kona Blue in the Highcross, 4pm onwards 6th October. If you are around drop by and say hi.<br />We will continue to post occasional reviews between now and then, but I am very excited about the relaunch and will be back with more news about the extension of the team and some new tie ins soon!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1475279998943586830.post-22219011016625849962010-08-03T09:18:00.000-07:002010-08-03T09:20:00.251-07:00Perfect Chemistry | Simone Elkeles<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiddQ3wEuFkSXoi_yg45DmCFqL65l6sssg51UiWWXg2_tQssrAdOFa8MWEXgBZFJ5DDu3AduPT32aWoZj9SV7-UMFoeddaMb-fmZ3V5hLDfaKpqjTGfYuttrSZF-rokZyx4mFIg2S0y4ijx/s1600/images.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 182px; height: 277px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiddQ3wEuFkSXoi_yg45DmCFqL65l6sssg51UiWWXg2_tQssrAdOFa8MWEXgBZFJ5DDu3AduPT32aWoZj9SV7-UMFoeddaMb-fmZ3V5hLDfaKpqjTGfYuttrSZF-rokZyx4mFIg2S0y4ijx/s320/images.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501219146551639234" border="0" /></a><br />Review for Perfect Chemistry By Simone Elkeles<br /><br />Things look perfect in Brittany's life. She has the perfect hair, the perfect car, the perfect boyfriend and she is the perfect head of the cheerleading squad. To other people she looks, and acts, like a princess but when Brittany gets behind her front door she goes into overdrive looking after her disabled older sister, Shelley. Infact, Brittany's home life is a mess. Her parents only care about appearance, not about their Daughters' feelings.<br /><br />As if Brittany wasn't juggling too much already, On the first day back to school, her chemistry teacher partners her with the biggest bad ass in school, Alex Fuentes. He's Mexican and in a gang. Not a stupid little group of bullies though, a proper gang that deals with drugs, killings and blackmail.<br /><br />Forced to work together on a chemistry project, Brittany and Alex get to know more about each other and their feelings towards each other get more serious and it's only when Alex is forced by his gang to do something incredibly dangerous and illegal that Brittany decides that she has to go to extremes to keep him out of harms way. Even if others have to get hurt.<br /><br />Simone Elkeles has created a wonderful romance novel. When I read this book I thought that it was really realistic because I could picture everything that was described. I would reccomend this book to all my friends but I think it is aimed at young adults because there is strong language and some of the contents of the book wouldn't be suitable for anybody under the age of 13.<br /><br />All in all it's a great book and I could read it and re-read it over and over again.<br /><br />PomPom.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1475279998943586830.post-83283763095080925892010-08-03T09:15:00.000-07:002010-08-03T09:17:45.501-07:00The Chosen One | Carol Lynch Williams<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizN5gH1OuFm0dxcy7L0f8HUL93Ub-H7-Pqm13TMiGTYkes8g6myulqxTJceeL_ypnWK4lSHanH8wa2yXzDSRbRrqIFRluQ7S35f8sJ_9mvflxuajkNA0DgZPry0Y8btjWruGVxXeDsEmgU/s1600/36800037.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 185px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizN5gH1OuFm0dxcy7L0f8HUL93Ub-H7-Pqm13TMiGTYkes8g6myulqxTJceeL_ypnWK4lSHanH8wa2yXzDSRbRrqIFRluQ7S35f8sJ_9mvflxuajkNA0DgZPry0Y8btjWruGVxXeDsEmgU/s320/36800037.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501218564818382354" border="0" /></a><br />The Chosen One, by Carol Lynch Williams.<br /><br />The chosen one is a book by carol lynch williams about a girl who doesn't find it strange that she has twenty brothers and sisters, and his father has three wives. She does, however, dislike the fact that she cannot choose who she falls in love with. when she finds a travelling library and starts to read books, which are strictly forbidden by 'the prophet', and falls in love with Joshua, she wishes she could choose who to fall in love with, not be forced to get married-being the seventh wife to her sixty year old uncle. Kyra wishes to escape, but that would endanger all the other members of her family. this book is about what she does and how all the above happens.<br /><br />This is a very touching book, although i didn't understand it at times. i think it is for maybe slightly older readers, of maybe 13 or 14, as lots happens at once and it can be very hard to comprehend. there is great detail in the writing and carol lynch williams is a very clever woman.<br /><br />AV. age 12Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1475279998943586830.post-80344649434807379062010-07-19T01:00:00.000-07:002010-07-19T01:00:02.560-07:00Dark Secrets 2 | Elizabeth Chandler<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIYs-BYRrB62CuA8CGFeuhJLeQ2auPuuntX4HxWRABMEvKHrSJhcSDyRkemPrOqp6D-ssRPvr3UAkLun4G97AblMCNrRqj-JZlVQk8u9k6ou0k1HIQlyOuNced3XYV-lby_C95fRVzc72T/s1600/9781416994626.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIYs-BYRrB62CuA8CGFeuhJLeQ2auPuuntX4HxWRABMEvKHrSJhcSDyRkemPrOqp6D-ssRPvr3UAkLun4G97AblMCNrRqj-JZlVQk8u9k6ou0k1HIQlyOuNced3XYV-lby_C95fRVzc72T/s320/9781416994626.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5495137452683223634" border="0" /></a><br />Two stories with only one thing relating them. They are both about an unsolved murder.<br />In No Time To Die, Jenny’s sister, Liza, who she is closer to than anyone in the world, has just died. Jenny decides to go to the summer drama camp where Liza was murdered by a serial killer. But she goes under a false name so that no one will know who she is. Everything is exactly how Liza described it. But, as Jenny digs deeper, she begins to wonder if Liza was really murdered by a serial killer after all.<br /><br />In The Deep End Of Fear, Kate’s father recently died. He left her two requests. One, to return a ring to Adrian Westbrook, and, two, to regain contact with her mother who she has not seen since she was five. Deciding to return the ring, she takes a job looking after Adrian’s son, Patrick. But that means returning to her childhood home where her best friend, Ashley, had died by falling through the ice on the pond. Patrick is behaving oddly and saying he can see Ashley even though no one has ever told him about her. Kate isn’t sure that Ashley’s death was an accident. There are plenty of people who would benefit from her death…and Patrick’s.<br /><br />I couldn’t put it down. I just had to know what happened next. Certain characters I loved and others I hated. The bit I loved the most was that the outcomes are completely unexpected. I could have made a long list of the people I thought might have killed Liza and Ashley but the people who actually did wouldn’t have been on it. But then I saw that it was them all along. Well written and I would definitely recommend it.<br /><br />By Zobdy<br />Age 13Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0