Blood Feud & Out for blood By Alyxandra Harvey

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.
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............

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.
I'd recommend to it to anyone who is into the vampire world. I think it’s mainly aimed for girls aged 13+

Tempest Rising - Tracy Deebs

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.

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.
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.

I think the writing style slowed down the story a lot and i found that half way through it started to get rather tedious.

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.

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.

Press Release | Moonlands by Steven Savile

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
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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.

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?

"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."
- Ashley Knight, author of Fins & Fathom



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.

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.

“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.

“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.

Foxrain AB is a publisher of primarily children’s and young adult fiction based in Stockholm Sweden-
Steve Savile is a multiple award-winning and bestselling British fantasy writer living in Stockholm Sweden.

www.moonlanddiaries.com

Moonlands | Steven Savile

Moonlands
by Steven Savile

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.

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.

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.

Guardian of the Gate | Michelle Zink

Guardian of the Gate by Michelle Zink was the second book in the ‘prophecy of the sisters’ trilogy.

It follows the story of 16 year old  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 sisterwill 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?

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.

All in all though it was a really good book, defiantly read it, but I would say read the first one to start with.

Book Trailer | Nancy Tillman 'The Crown on your Head'

My Love Lies Bleeding | Alyxandra Harvey

(in the US released as 'Hearts at Stake'.)

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^th 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.

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?

This book is really good and I’d rate it 9 / 10.  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’.  Apparently, the fourth one is coming out in November, but I don’t want to wait that long! :(

 Pom Pom