Author Interview: Stacey Kade + Giveaway!

I love The Ghost and the Goth. I do, I do!
Today I have the fabulous Stacey Kade, author of The Ghost and the Goth, for an interview!

Welcome Stacey!

1. In terms of writing, are you a plunger or a planner?

Interesting! I've never heard the term plunger before, but I'm pretty sure that's what I am. :) I don't like to plan too much advance. When I'm writing, I prefer it to be similar to the experience of reading, where I don't know what's going to happen next exactly. :) Of course, these days, with deadlines, I have to do a little more planning. But left to my own devices, I would probably only figure out the end of a story when I came to it!

2. How did you come up with the title for The Ghost and the Goth?

You know, I'm not really sure. When I'm writing, if I don't have a title pretty near the beginning, I've always got some part of my brain thinking about possibilities. With The Ghost and the Goth, what I liked about it was that Will and Alona might be called those things (a goth, a ghost) by people who didn't know them. But, in fact, they don't see themselves that way. So, it sort of fit with the whole theme of people judging by what they see on the outside without knowing what's really going on inside. :)

3. How do you choose your character names?

It kind of depends. Sometimes I name them. Sometimes they show up with a name! :) I knew Will's last name was Killian from the beginning and that people might call him by that sometimes. Figuring out his first name was a little harder. Sometimes names sound okay spoken aloud, but when you put them on the page, they don't look right.

Alona is named for the fabulous actress Alona Tal. Plus, it just sounded like who she was. She *sounds* like an Alona, to me.

I use baby name books and websites for inspiration, usually searching by meaning first.

4. Which character was more difficult for you to write, Will or Alona?

Alona, actually. Don't get me wrong--she's fun to write and there's nothing like hearing her nasty/funny comments come rolling through my head. :) But Will's experience in high school was more like mine. Not that I can see ghosts or anything, but I certainly wasn't Homecoming Queen, either!

5. The Ghost and the Goth has a motif of High school hierarchy. Was this based on a personal experience?

I was frequently the "new kid" in school and shy, so observing and trying to figure out how the system worked was the only way I knew how to survive. :) I did move to a new school in the middle of 8th grade and therefore started high school only knowing a few people. And there was definitely a hierarchy, though perhaps not one quite as strictly defined as the one at Will and Alona's high school. We did have a cafetorium, though! And where you sat said a lot about who you were--or who people thought you were.

6. Who/What is your greatest inspiration?

I just love the experience of meeting new characters. I never know who is going to show up or what they're going to be like, and they continually delight and surprise me. And that, I think, is the best inspiration and motivation for telling stories! :)

7. What is by far the greatest advice given to you?

Write a crappy first draft. It's from the book Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. If you focus too much on trying to make something perfect, it'll never get written and you'll drive yourself crazy. Better to write a crappy first draft and know that you can fix it.

8. Book you wish you wrote? Why?

Oh, boy. I admire many, many books and authors, and I love learning from them. But I think the joy of doing this is getting to see a story you tell yourself in your head come to life. So, I'm not sure the experience would be the same because many of the books I love and admire, I NEVER would have come up with myself! :)

9. Have you any ghostly encounter at all?

Not really, and what most people find strange is that I don't really want to! :) They say we write about things that scare and fascinate us, and I'd say that's true. I love thinking about ghosts, the afterlife, all of that. I would prefer, though, never to see a spirit personally. I'd probably faint!

10. What can we expect from the sequel, Queen of the Dead?

More trouble for Will and Alona, more bickering, more kissing...
Specifically, there is a new person in town who is likely going to cause some strife between them.

11. And, if it isn't too much, can I also ask if Alona can change clothes in the afterlife? I'm sure she hates being stuck in Gym clothes and seriously, this question has been intriguing me! :D

Ha, yes, she TOTALLY hates it. As far as I know, spirits of people who died violently and/or suddenly are generally stuck in the clothes they died in. However...well, I can't say more without spoiling, so I'm going to have to let that go for now! :)

Thank you, Dwayne, for having me here today!

You're very welcome Stacey! Thanks you for being such a star! I cannot wait for Queen of the Dead. I already miss Alona and Will's antics! :)

Visit Stacey's webpage at www.staceykade.com and don't forget to follow her on twitter @StaceyKade.

Haven't read The Ghost and the Goth yet? Lucky for you, I'm giving one away! Enter the giveaway below for a chance to win one brand spanking new copy of this ultra fabulous title!

Rules.

• Open to wherever Book Depository ships. 
• You do not have to be a follower to enter - but of course, extra entries to my lovely followers!
• Deadline for entries will be on 30th September, 12MN BST.
• Winners will be drawn by random.org
• Winners will be contacted via e-mail, and will be given 48 hours to response. Otherwise, a new winner will be drawn.
• Any details will be deleted after use and will not be passed on to any third party.

P.S. The winners for my The Sequels Giveaway will be announced later tonight. Check back to see if you've won! G'luck! :)

Book Review: Finding Sky (Joss Stirling)

When Sky catches a glimpse of Zed for the first time, lounging against his motorbike at school, she is drawn to him just like every other girl in Wickenridge. But Zed sees something special in her that the other girls don't have. Zed tells her they are both Savants - people with special powers like telepathy and the ability to see into the future. Not only that, she is a Savant too, and his soulfinder - meant to be together. 

When a soulfinder speaks telepathically to her partner, it's like all the lights coming on in a building. You lit me up like Vegas. But for Sky it's just not that easy - she's a mystery to herself, haunted by nightmares from her past before she was adopted, and riddled with doubt and insecurity. Just when Sky is slowly coming round to the idea of being with Zed she is kidnapped by a family of criminal Savants. In a chilling twist, Sky and Zed's relationship is put to the ultimate test and the fate of those she loves lie in Sky's hands. Will Sky have the strength to embrace her power and be brave enough to control her own destiny, or will the dark demons of her past prevent her from realising her true potential?

Ladies and gentlemen, you'd want to read this book. You ladies will sigh and swoon over and enjoy the romance between soulfinders - and the gents can note down a few pointers from the Benedict boys. I was yearning for good YA romance novel when I started Finding Sky and I got exactly what I needed. It was the cure to and signalled the end of my reading break!

When I mention 'good YA romance', I'd like to emphasise on 'good'. I don't favour romances without substance and am often critical of those whose transition from attraction to love is lightning quick - Finding Sky is neither of those. Although primarily a book about soulmates, you won't find the characters falling head over heels in love in the span of a few pages. The romance isn't sappy or boring, nor plain or forgettable. It highlights the most important aspects of romance in a way that is real and tangible to every reader - trust, comfort, acceptance. The romantic tension arrives in a different form; I welcomed the break from the usual and the stereo-typical.

The narrator, Sky Bright, is one of the few characters I can personally relate to. Joss Stirling has captured exactly how it feels to move out of your comfort zone; believe me, I have been there myself. Her descriptions of Sky's thought and emotional process is spot on, never straying or exaggerating from just the precise feeling or thought. The author's description of trauma is vivid, real and true. Without the jargon to weigh it down, it is portrayed in a way that is accessible to every reader. Interestingly, the themes and motifs of this book is channelled through Sky, so in that sense she is very diverse character indeed. Of course, a special girl needs a special boy - enter Zed Benedict. Zed is a peculiar boy - he is broody, mysterious and a bad boy at the beginning. But as the book progresses and the reader unravels what it is that makes Zed so mysterious, we see a complete change in him. This turnaround underscores the concept of a soulfinder and results in a courtship between him and Sky -a courtship so romantic it easily surpasses many YA romance books out there.

Finding Sky is written impeccably well. The literary devices - particularly the metaphors and similes - used are fresh and brilliant. The contrast between the British usage and American usage of English words and phrases are also distinct and well-highlighted. Towards the end, it falters, but it can be explained through Sky's adaptation of the American usage, given that she is in fact already across the pond.

I have minor complaints - for instance, the tension in the plot is present but could be stronger. There are also quite a few sub plots I wanted to be explored further (not to mention a few more kisses between Sky and Zed), but I am hoping for a sequel because although it ends neatly, I am not quite ready to let it go!

With an emotional and psychological edge to a very interesting concept of meeting one's soul mate, this romantic debut will delight many of you readers out there.

Four Stars!


* Copy received for review. Thanks to Liz and Oxford University Publishing.

Are you an Alex mamacita? Or a Carlos chica? (drool).

Now ladies, can you resist on collecting these two hot, gorgeous and undeniably swoon-worthy men books? 

(insert collective sigh here.)

So well, after you've regained your brain, legs and whatever-else-melted... here are some more to incapacitate you. Again.

Are you an Alex mamacita? Or a Carlos chica?

P.S. I love Simone. This woman has the uncanny ability to make my brain go whoooosh! mush.

Waiting on Wednesday (9)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine.
This week's peek is:

FALLEN ANGEL (Heather Terrell)

The first book in a dark, edgy new angel series about a girl who finds herself forced to choose sides in the battle between fallen angels, even if that means going against the boy she loves.


When Ellie Faneuil first sees Michael Chase she feels an instantaneous connection. But she does not realize how much they have in common, including the ability fly and to see what others are thinking - not to mention a taste for blood. Reveling in their new powers and their growing feelings for each other, Ellie and Michael are determined to uncover what they are, and how they got this way ... together.


But the truth has repercussions neither could have imagined. Soon they find themselves center stage in an ancient conflict between fallen angels that threatens to destroy everything they love. And it is no longer clear whether Ellie and Michael will choose the same side.


In this electrifying novel Heather Terrell spins a gripping tale of soul-mates, supernatural powers and a truth that will change Ellie and Michael‘s world forever.

Published December 28th 2010 by HarperTeen.

Another Fallen Angel ( literally!) novel here to look forward to! The cover has a sense of foreboding while the glowing lettering give a heavenly, unearthly feel. I like it! :)

What are you lot waiting for this week?

Book Review: The Eternal Ones (Kirsten Miller)

What if love refused to die?

Haven Moore can’t control her visions of a past with a boy called Ethan, and a life in New York that ended in fiery tragedy. In our present, she designs beautiful dresses for her classmates with her best friend Beau. Dressmaking keeps her sane, since she lives with her widowed and heartbroken mother in her tyrannical grandmother’s house in Snope City, a tiny town in Tennessee. Then an impossible group of coincidences conspire to force her to flee to New York, to discover who she is, and who she was.

In New York, Haven meets Iain Morrow and is swept into an epic love affair that feels both deeply fated and terribly dangerous. Iain is suspected of murdering a rock star and Haven wonders, could he have murdered her in a past life? She visits the Ouroboros Society and discovers a murky world of reincarnation that stretches across millennia. Haven must discover the secrets hidden in her past lives, and loves¸ before all is lost and the cycle begins again.

This book tested my patience in so many levels. I was constantly swinging between loving it and hating it, and it was not until the end that I realised it was all so very worth it. To say it's an engaging book is an understatement. The Eternal Ones will invoke readers to feel, think and try to guess all sorts of things.

Haven Moore is a protagonist I have not settled my mind about. She is like a swinging pendulum, constantly undecided and going back and forth about trusting, loving and believing. On the one hand, I think she is practical in keeping her walls up and not trusting Iain - the reincarnated Ethan - wholeheartedly until she finds the answers he cannot and will not give her. She is aware of her visions being only snippets and not the full picture of her past - and despite her yearning for him, she reserves her judgment on Iain until she finds those elusive answers. On the other hand, it seems rather stupid of her to trust fully someone else who she cannot recall at all nor is she related to, while not trusting Iain when she knows and feel their love and history. She wasn't a character easy to relate to, no. I could not imagine a toddler having visions from previous lives, let alone visions about a lover. Her reserved attitude and need for answers are believable, but her rationale and actions are sometimes questionable.

I was surprised to not have read much of Iain in this book. There is little characterisation on his part, and often times I found him overshadowed by the wonderful secondary characters - like Beau, Haven's best friend. I really would have liked to know more of Iain and to see more of Ethan in him too. He appears in crucial, defining moments but I felt the need for more romance. What Iain shared with Haven is brief but intense, and their connection well-played. The mystery and secrecy behind their relationship adds flavour to the romance, while the twists and turns that had me gaping is a good bonus.

The concept of reincarnation is fascinatiing to say the least, but The Eternal Ones takes that concept and wields it with mystery, romance and religion to become one bloody good book. I personally love how the characters connect with each other, and how they fit together in the greater scheme of things. It's worth noting that there are major religious undertones in this book. Haven springs from a small, close-knit and religious town in Tennesee and that, and her grandmother's religious fervor portrays a very realistic small town narrow-mindedness which I enjoyed reading. With the other half of the book being set in New York, the contrasts in the atmosphere and environment is well highlighted.

I had a small issue with the narrative. Don't get me wrong, the Eternal Ones is well-written, but I was not sure what the time frame was in the first few pages because the words used seem to indicate a usage in a different time. It took me some time to get used to it but when I did, it was a blessed relief. Although I thought the climax was not a climax at all, I can hardly complain - I really enjoyed this book. It ends in a way that is open and ready for the sequel.

Recommended!

Four stars.

* This book was received for review from UK Book Tours.

In My Mailbox (16)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren.
Here's what we got this week!

* For Review

I Shall Wear Midnight (Terry Pratchett)

Trash (Andy Mulligan)

Prisoner of the Inquisitions (Theresa Breslin)

Boys Don't Cry (Malorie Blackman)

Noah Barleywater Runs Away (John Boyne)

The Young Chieftain (Ken Howard)

Spy Glass (Maria V. Snyder)

* From UK Book Tours

Some Girls Bite (Chloe Neill)

* Won

Paper Towns (John Green)

Dark Life (Kat Falls)

* Bought

The Haunted (Jessica Verday)

Clockwork Angel (Cassandra Clare) - so massive! :)

The Demon's Lexicon (Sarah Rees Brennan)

Special thanks to RHCB and Midas PR for the beautiful books! 

Been crazy preparing for university this week and more likely next week, but I'll visit some IMMs tomorrow. Hope you lot got some great books too! :)

Happy reading everyone!

Will there be a third book in the Hush, Hush series? YESSS!

It's been killing me to keep silent about this very very exciting news, which I found out back in early August when I chatted with Becca and the lovely Jenn and Rebbeca from Fallen Archangel. I can't tell you how very glad I feel to have been privy to the news! And no, I haven't told a soul - now I can, now I can! It was not made public yet then, but now it finally is.

Oh boy, oh boy! To everyone who have read Crescendo, I've heard the ending can cause a heart attack - but now you can restart the heart and look forward to...

TEMPEST! 

Visit Becca's post about it HERE.

What the Book Pirates say...

As an avid book lover and a book blogger I am aware of and stand against Book Piracy. I know how it can affect many in the publishing industry - but not everyone do. Kristi's post - Pirates Suck - over at The Story Siren is a great step into launching awareness of this crime. It also propelled me to engage in an online conversation with several anonymous book pirates and hear what they have to say. Below I have listed their major arguments for book piracy - and my take. I'd love to hear what you say and help me put some sense into these Book Pirates!

1. Sharing E-books are just like sharing printed books. So why call us book pirates? If I can let a friend borrow a book, why can't I let a friend have a copy of my e-book?

Because you do not have the right to do so. The copyright page in every e-book explicitly states that the e-book copy should in no way be reproduced. That means passing your copy to one or more people is illegal. There are reasons behind this, just as there are reasons behind the law that forbids motorists to run a red light. If book piracy is not a moral wrong, at the very least it is a legal wrong. So, just as one should not run a red light, you should not be reproducing your e-books online or otherwise.

2. I'm just passing my e-book it to one person anyway, so what's the harm?

While spreading your love for books is encouraged, scanning a book and sending it to a friend is not. It's illegal, and the difference is this: your printed copy is limited to those whom you have lent it to. No one else can have the copy you paid for apart from the person who actually has it. There's one copy. On the contrary, if you pass an e-book to a friend, what guarantee do you have of your friend not passing it on to someone else? And that someone else to somebody else? Worse, each in the chain will have a copy of said e-book, without paying for it. There is a whole list of harm.

3. We're saving trees.

BS. Ever heard of ethical publishing? More and more ppublishers are now working towards printing using recycled papers and/or papers made from sustainable sources. And while E-books may be the more environmentally friendly way of reading, you can buy one legally. E-books can now be widely purchased from legitimate sites. Kindle Store, Book Depository and Kobo are just a few examples. So why download illegally if you can save trees the same way by purchasing e-books legally?

4. Authors are rich. They don't need more money.

Wrong. If you think all authors are like JK Rowling and have unlimited bank accounts, you are so ridiculously wrong. For debut authors and independent authors who are just starting in the writing/publishing industry, each book sold makes a difference. Writing is a profession, and like any profession they earn from what they do. What authors earn for each book you buy is part of their income. So with each illegal download, you are usurping their income. Need I mention you're usurping the publishers' profits (and hence, the employees' incomes) too? Shame!

5. The best things in life are free.

That may be, but in this case it's not. Will stealing from a clothes shop be excused for this reason too? I don't think so. Remember that each book you illegally download is in the expense of someone else - there is no such thing as free lunch!

6. The book cannot be found anywhere in my country, so I have no choice but to download them online.

If you must read it, try to buy it through Book Depository - they are likely to have the book you want as they sell US books on the site. They also offer free deliveries worldwide, so it's worth checking if your country is on the list. Alternatively, you can purchase an e-book through legitimate stores such as Amazon's Kindle Store. I myself purchase e-books from Kindle Store when the book I pine for is only sold in the US. It's also a cheaper option. Now if you really cannot find the book you want, it will not hurt to contact the author and ask if and when a publisher is going to release the book in your country.

7. I cannot afford to buy books all the time. Even paperback books are expensive. What do you expect me to do?

If you cannot afford to buy the clothes you want, will you resort to stealing them too? Of course not everyone has the means to buy books all the time. Books, even at a discounted price, may still be expensive. These are some of what you can do:

• Borrow. Either from a friend, or from your local library. Libraries are there for a reason, so use them. All you have to do is sign up and voila, you can borrow books for free! So long as you return the book in good condition or renew your book loan by the return date, you will not be charged.

• Trade books: Sites such as Read it Swap it, Books Smooch and Book Hopper are great sites to visit if you're looking for ways to get your hands on new books and save money at the same time. If you're not particularly attached to your books, why not trade them for books you are yet to read? Rather than buy a brand new copy, you can get one for the cost of a postage and afterwards, swap it for another book!

• Rent books: Books Swim and Books Free are useful sites which allow you to rent rather than buy books. It's cheaper too!

• Check out Charity Shops: Second-hand books are everywhere! I buy quite a lot of secondhand books - they may not be brand-spanking new, but they are just as good! You can even buy used books from Amazon if that's what you prefer. Charity shops are a great alternative.  They sell at very discounted prices (around 80% off) and give all proceeds to charity! 

• Post your book reviews online and earn! Websites such as Ciao and Dooyoo gives you points for every review you post on the site. With enough points, you can then convert them to money off vouchers and/or cash!

8. If I like a book I read illegally, I'd buy it anyway. No harm done.

Except what you're doing is illegal. If you want to have a feel of the book, I know Amazon's Kindle Store allows you to download samplers which will help you decide whether or not you would be interested in the book. It's completely legal, and if you're still unconvinced - how about checking the author's website or the publisher's page for a sneak peek? If you like what you've read, more likely than not, the book is worth reading.

9. I'm just one person, so I won't really count. The rest will buy the book legally anyway.

That's what you think. And what a hundred others think. It's a chain reaction - your every download encourages others to do the same and the source to scan more books. By the end of the day, more than a few people has the illegal copy downloaded on their PC/laptops. If you think you won't count, think again.

9. I want the book to reach more people. Since it's not available as e-book, scanning the pages will do the trick!

Are you kidding me? That's not spreading the love of the book. That's damaging the author's chances of selling more copies and of writing more for you. That's e-piracy. That's illegal. I can go on and on, but the point is, it's illegal. Don't do it!

10. I didn't know about book piracy! 

Now you do. A simple online search or a thorough read of the copyright page should do the trick. Remember: ignorance is no excuse, and will definitely not matter to authorities should you be caught.

*

If you stand against book piracy, Tynga has a collection of anti-piracy buttons which you can post on your sidebars, so check it out here. Kristi's posts also has links to other posts you might want to check out.

Feel free to leave your thoughts - book pirates or otherwise! :)

Waiting on Wednesday (8)

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine.

I love this. I love love love everything about this book! I can barely wait to get my hands on it!

ACROSS THE UNIVERSE (BETH REVIS)

A love out of time. A spaceship built of secrets and murder.

Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.

Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone—one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship—tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn’t do something soon, her parents will be next.

Now, Amy must race to unlock Godspeed’s hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there’s only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.

Published January 11th 2011 by Razorbill.

Visit the website too - you can read the first chapter here -  Across the Universe.

What do you think? Like it or like it? :D

Book Review: The Immortal Highlander (Karen Marie Moning)

BEWARE: lethally seductive alpha male of immense strength and dark eroticism, do not look at him. Do not touch him. Do not be tempted. Do not be seduced.

With his long, black hair and dark, mesmerizing eyes, Adam Black is Trouble with a capital T. Immortal, arrogant, and intensely sensual, he is the consummate seducer, free to roam across time and continents in pursuit of his insatiable desires. That is, until a curse strips him of his immortality and makes him invisible, a cruel fate for so irresistible a man. With his very life at stake, Adam’s only hope for survival is in the hands of the one woman who can actually see him.

Enter law student Gabrielle O’Callaghan, who is cursed with the ability to see both worlds: Mortal and Faery. From the moment she lays eyes on this stunning male, Gabby is certain of one thing: He could be her undoing. Thus begins a long, dangerous seduction. Because despite his powerful strength and unquenchable hungers, Adam refuses to take a woman by force. Instead, he will tease his way into Gabby’s bed and make her want him just as he wants her.

Now, no matter how hard Gabby tries to avoid him, Adam is everywhere, invisible to all but her—perched atop her office cubicle in too-tight jeans, whispering softly from behind the stacks of the law library, stealing her breath away with his knowing smile…all the while tempting her with the promise of unimaginable pleasure in his arms. But soon danger will intrude on this sensual dance. For as Adam’s quest to regain his immortality plunges them into a world of timeless magic and the deadly politics of the Faery queen’s court, the price of surrender could be their very lives. Unless they can thwart the conspiracy that threatens both mortal and Faery realms…and give them a shot at a destiny few mortals ever know: glorious, wondrous, endless love.

Out of all the books in Karen Marie Moning's Highlander Series, this is the book I was most excited about. The Immortal Highlander is the (great) Adam Black's story. First introduced in Beyond the Highland Mist, Adam Black's incredible charm and unbelievable arrogance hooked me to him. So of course, now stripped of his powers, invisible to both mortals and fae and in a (very puny, very needy) human body, Adam attempts to save his queen, seduce Gabrielle O'Callaghan and evade an old enemy all in one go. I just had to read this book!

This series is already my favourite, and despite ridiculously high expectations for this particular book, I'm pleased to say it did not fail me. Adam Black is as arrogant as ever, just as gorgeous and all the more drool-worthy. His antics in this book are beyond hilarious, so much so it actually hurt to read it! God I was laughing so hard. There's nothing funnier than Adam Black asserting his prowess to a very cynical modern woman! Despite his ever-present arrogance, readers see deeper into him in this book. Although not a typical bad boy with a good heart, Adam has his selfless moments. Gabrielle herself is a loveable character, and is the perfect match for him in every way. Just as defiant and raised to hate the Fae, she is the one person who does not bow down to him and is therefore his equal. I love the way these two interact with each other. Adam is perpetually seducing her and Gabrielle is resisting just as much. Every bit of development means a lot in this book, I love it!

Another strength is the suspense in the plot. As this series progresses, more suspense is infused in the books, which results to a romance/adventure thrill which I can never say no to. Add Adam Black to that and you get the most amazing quotes. Romantic, arrogant, pure male and completely and utterly drool-worthy!

Fans of previous books will also delight in there are recurring characters, and I do think it's best to read the previous books as it will give you better platform to understand Adam and the plot. Amazing book!

And so, in letters as big and as bold as Adam Black:

FIVE STARS.

In My Mailbox (15)

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren.Here's what we got this week!

* Bought

Portal (Imogen Rose)

Rich and Mad (William Nicholson)

* For doodles - yes, this book is only for doodling!

Raised by Wolves (Jennifer Lynn Barnes) 

From UK Book Tours.

And this week, I indulged in a whole lot of E-books! I am more environmentally friendly, agree? :D

* E-books (Not pictured)

Paranormalcy (Kirsten White)

Return to Paradise (Simone Elkeles)

Shadow (Jenny Moss)

Shadow (Erik Kellinson)

Mistwood (Leah Cypress)

Forget You (Jennifer Echols) - I looove this book! I think the ARC is sexier though ;)

Whisper (Phoebe Kitanidis)

I'll probably ruin my eyes reading these e-books, but the planet needs trees, okay? So don't argue! Lol :D

On the side note, I'll announce the winners of my birthday giveaway soon, so watch out!

What's in your IMMs? I have not quite managed what I intended last week, which is to visit every single IMM. I ended up at 120 and succumbed to a terrrrrible head ache. I'll do random visits this week instead. Happy reading!

Book Review: Guardian of the Dead (Karen Healey)

'In less than a day I had been harassed, enchanted, shouted at, cried on, and clawed. I’d been cold, scared, dirty, exhausted, hungry, and miserable. And up until now, I’d been mildly impressed with my ability to cope.'

At her boarding school in New Zealand, Ellie Spencer is like any ordinary teen: she hangs out with her best friend, Kevin; obsesses over her crush on a mysterious boy; and her biggest worry is her paper deadline. Then everything changes: In the foggy woods near the school, something ancient and deadly is waiting.

It's not often in young adult literature that find myself immersed in a completely brand new culture, but while reading Guardian of the Dead I find myself in exactly that. Karen Healey's novel brings to vivid life the richness of Maori culture, painting myths and beliefs in strokes so detailed, it had me captivated from beginning to end.

I am a language and culture enthusiast, but I have not quite grasped what Maori culture has to offer until I read this book. Guardian of the Dead gives such exquisite detail to Maori mythology the book itself takes almost a magical quality. I felt that thrill I remember feeling as a child listening to the re-telling of various legends and myths. Maori mythology is epic - it's a story on a large, grand scale. My reading was two-fold; I was reading to learn about Maori mythology from the perspective of someone being introduced to it the first time, and reading to align said mythology to the plot. Like any, Maori mythology is, at times, violent with grim and bloody images. It's troubling, it's creepy, it's beautiful. But it's also solid, and it's unique.

Apart from Maori mythology woven into the plot, the uniqueness of Guardian of the dead also springs from its diverse characters. From Samia, Ellie's religious muslim friend, to Kevin, her asexual best friend, the characters in this book depict the portrayal of a multi-cultural society and more. Ellie Spencer herself is a three dimensional character whose strength, determination and honesty drew me towards her. Her insecurities are relatable, her actions understandable - her attributes reflect those of whom I see myself hanging out with. These characters are also connected to the mythology and the twists surrounding that adds further to the intricacy of this book. I am also a fan of the romance in this book - I like how it was not the whole focus of the story, but it's a strong part of it. Ellie and Mark are two wonderful puzzle pieces together, developing from barely friends to trusting partners. And while the ending is not exactly happily ever after, it's plausible, it ties the plot neatly and is open to further exploration. It's one of those books that is excellent as a stand-alone, but I'd a sequel for.

While reading, I found the narrative to be fragmented at first. However, that was soon rectified and explained, and it was a smooth flow from hence. I think it's worth noting that there are a lot of Maori terms in this book, so unless you're familiar with them it is easy to be confused. At first I felt as if the book was written for those who already knew Maori mythology - or Maori words at least - but as the plot deepens, it becomes clear that readers do get an in-depth explanation of a lot of things. I still ended up having to search online for meanings - but rest assured, there is a glossary at the end which lists and explains these. However, I usually avoid looking at the end pages before reading as I am weary of spoilers, so I did not notice the glossary until after reading. It would have been nice to know the terms beforehand, but I suppose a re-read won't do any harm, would it?

With an epic mythology, a great plot and diverse characters, Guardian of the Dead should be enjoyed by everyone, fan of mythologies or not. If you're a culture enthusiast, a YA lover and are interested in the coming together of the contemporary and the ancient, this book is made for you!

Four Stars.


* ARC received as part of a book tour arranged by Int'l Book Tours.