Book Review - The Wells Bequest

Title: The Wells Bequest
Author: Polly Shulman
Series: The Grimm Legacy (book 2)
Publisher: OUP Oxford
Release Date: 5 Sep 2013
ISBN-13: 978-0192793119

Synopsis
It was an evening like any other for Leo Novikov. That is until a miniature version of himself appears before his eyes . . . from the future! Not only that, he's riding on some kind of weird machine, with his arms wrapped around the hottest girl he's ever laid eyes on!
He heads off to the New York Circulating Material Repository to do some research and meets Jaya, the girl from the future. Together they embark on a dangerous mission to save New York City . . . a mission that will take them to the other side of the world, and to the other side of time.

My Review
I read the Grimm Legacy and really enjoyed it so was pleasantly surprised to find out that there was another book in the series and I requested it straight away. It came in quite fast at the library but I couldn't read it straight away. I finally got to start it a few days ago and was surprised that it wasn't the same characters I knew but someone completely new - Leo Novikov. I was a bit disappointed but decided to stick with it - this was good because he does end up visiting the New York Circulating Material Repository and meeting some of the characters from the first book, suddenly the two stories link up and make sense. 
Leo has grown up in a family of scientists and physicists, they all expect him to follow in their footsteps so when it comes to the School Science fair he knows he has to do something impressive. But as he is sitting in his room one night he meets a miniature version of himself - from the future. Suddenly questions about time travel and machines fill his mind - and the girl his future self was with - who was she and how does he meet her. This is where he discovers the wonderful world of the Repository and it was great as a reader to go back to it. This is set about 5 or 6 years after book 1, as 10 year old 'Jaya' from book 1 is now Teenage Jaya working at the Repository and capturing Leo's thoughts.
I have to admit I was a bit hesitant about this book as 'Wells Bequest' obviously refers to 'H.G Wells' author of the Time Machine and from the synopsis I knew it would include time travel - this is a subject I don't tend to get along with too well. It either confuses me or annoys me. It has to be done very well for it to capture my imagination. 
I have to say I was pleasantly surprised, there were a few moments of confusion where I wasn't entirely sure what was happening and how it would adjust the past and future and the consequences but it wasn't too bad. Although Time Travel is the underlying theme, it isn't actually too prominent (the actual traveling) and I found myself enjoying the character development and seeing Leo discover the Repository for the first time.
I didn't enjoy it as much as book 1, I didn't feel like it captured my imagination or heart as much as the first but I did still enjoy it. I am still curious enough that if there was another book in the series I would definitely read it. More for the characters than the story. Something about them make me want to read more and know more about them.

My Rating

 
   

Book Promo - The Awakening

Do you believe in vampires? Ghosts? The supernatural world?
Meet Lauren who instantly clicks with Gavin at a friend’s BBQ. Everything goes well until Lauren starts to experience strange things and hears a weird voice. It seems like a warning but from what? Lauren eventually makes the startling discovery that Gavin is a vampire and it has profound consequences for herself. The arrival of Daniel makes things even more confusing for Lauren as she is warned he is bad news from a ghostly source. Laurens life is turned upside down as things she thought were myths and legends become real and she struggles to cope with everything she has discovered.
Will Lauren and Gavin’s relationship survive and what about the mysterious Daniel?

Author Bio

Hi, I'm Emma. I have always absolutely loved reading and remember reading The Worst Witch, Judy Blume and Point Horror when I was younger. I have dabbled in writing for 6 years but only recently decided to dip my toe into the self publishing world after months of deliberation. My writing started as a hobby whilst on maternity leave but over the last 12 months has become my passion. I love all things vampire so naturally my first book is based on this theme. My first book The Awakening is out now and will be followed soon my a short story called Origins which focuses on Drake and Emily. I hope you enjoy. Please pop along to my Facebook page and say hello or leave any comments.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Books-by-Emma-Jones/611953792173504

Like the sound of it? Here's the purchasing links -

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00H5UM4QQ

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H5UM4QQ

The Awakening is £0.99 UK and $0.99 US for a limited time.

FF (158)

Follow Friday is an opportunity to discover and follow other book related blogs! Want to join? Check it out at Parajunkee or Alison Can Read

This week's question feature is...

Late April Fools. What was the best prank you’ve played or had played on you? Share!

My Answer: I'm not really one for pranks but I do like to make people jump. Last week one of my colleagues went out the back room to grab something, so I stood just to the side of the doorway. When he opened the door to walk back through I jumped out in front of him and he jumped so much! I think I nearly gave him a heart attack but it was really funny. Best reaction I have ever had! :)

Happy hopping and Blogging!

Book Promo - Black Cats and Ballet Slippers

Black Cats and Ballet Slippers - Week Blitz

By Iva Valentino

Middle Grade Humor

Date Published: March 7, 2014

Gemma Mayfield feels like middle
school is a lot to bite off and chew. School, ballet classes, and planning on how to get Trevor Davis to ask her to
the Halloween Dance are a tough balancing act. On top of that, Gemma is convinced that her science teacher, Ms.
Pruett, is a witch.

When things start getting fishy at school, Gemma knows that Ms. Pruett is behind it all! Students are getting spells placed on them and start to go missing. Gemma and her best friend, Izzie, vow to stop Ms. Pruett from doing any more damage. Will they be able to save Middleton Middle School from witchcraft?

EXCERPT

Okay, so something REALLY strange is going on. Boys are from a different planet, but right now a few of them at Middleton are acting like they’re from a different universe. (Wait. Does this make sense? Is there more than one universe? Ugh. Maybe I should have paid more attention last year in Astronomy.)

So, by the time I got to Ms. Pruett’s class, I had already worked myself into a super version of “I Don’t Wanna Go To Class Because I’m Creeped Out!” mode. I walked into the Science Laboratory, and I swear I felt the cold of Building 400 smack me right in the face. I’m not kidding.

Of course Ms. Pruett was at the door, acting like her sweet old lady self (ha ha, I know better), and was welcoming all the kids into the classroom. I just kept my head down and muttered a hello as I passed. Staying below the radar was the goal. Then I sat down at my lab table and shivered a bit.

Joey sat down at the table just a second later. Normally he is really loud and obnoxious, cracking jokes, and calling to the other Soccer Jocks across the room. Today he was quiet.

“Hey,” I said, trying to be friendly. I thought maybe we could commiserate on us both having spells cast on us. Joey responded with a “hey” but didn’t say much else. Hello? Was this the Joey I knew?

“So, Joey, are you feeling okay?” I asked. “You know, after yesterday…”

Joey didn’t say anything, but began writing on a piece of paper. He folded up the piece of paper and passed it to me. I gave him a questioning look. He gave me a weird look back that I couldn’t decipher. The note was as follows:

Hey Gemma,

   
  Sorry I gave you a hard time yesterday about the “Cute Boy” list. It was kind of rude of me.

     Joey

That’s when it hit me that Joey hadn’t recovered from Ms. Pruett’s spell. For me it was just temporary, like a few minutes. But Joey was acting weird. It had to be the spell.

“Um, thanks,” I said. “Don’t worry about it.” I then started taking out all my school stuff so that I could look busy and not have any more awkward moments with Joey until he felt better. He was taking longer to recuperate.

After class I headed straight down toward the lunchroom. On the way there, I saw Trevor going in the opposite direction past me. Our conversation went like this:

Me: “Hi Trevor!” (with a big smile and enthusiasm)

Trevor: “Oh, hi Gemma.” (with zombie-like attitude)

 Me: “Okay, have a good lunch!”

 Trevor: “Okay, thanks. Bye.”

I wondered where he was going, in the opposite direction from the lunch room when it was lunchtime. It took me another couple of moments to realize that the ONLY classroom in that part of campus was Ms. Pruett’s room. He was headed back toward Building 400!

Yikes! I turned myself around in mid-stride and turned back the way I came. I knew there was no way possible that Trevor would be going to Ms. Pruett’s. Why would anyone in their right mind be going there by themselves?

I didn’t want Trevor to think I was stalking him, because of course I would never do that. But just in case that’s what it appeared to be, I used as much stealth as possible. I walked in the shadows and stopped to peek out behind bushes and building walls. I saw him up ahead…just before he ENTERED MS. PRUETT’S CLASSROOM.

My mouth fell open, and I just sort of stared at the door for a while.

Weird things are going on here at Middleton. And I think Ms. Pruett’s behind it all!

Iva Valentino
Iva Valentino lives in Arizona with her husband and their dog, Lupo. She graduated from the University of Arizona with a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and a Master’s degree in Education. She thinks visiting cold places is fun, but she loves living year-round in the warm desert.

Iva spent many years as a middle school teacher, where she enjoyed doing cool science experiments with her students. She currently works as a science editor at an educational publishing company. She loves travel, yoga, and photography. There is nothing that brings her more happiness than a good dance class!

Author Links

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and Noble | MuseIt Up Publishing

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Book Review - Arch Enemy

Title: Arch Enemy
Author: Frank Beddor
Series: The Looking Glass Wars (book 3)
Publisher: Egmont
Release Date: 1st October 2009
ISBN13: 9781405251938

Synopsis
The battle for Wonderland has come to a head and the Heart Crystal's power has been depleted thanks to King Arch's devastating weapon, WILMA. Imagination has been wiped from the land and the people of Wonderland have lost their greatest asset. Most alarmingly, even Queen Alyss is without her powers as her Queendom hangs in the balance. 


My Review
I read the first two books in the series quite quickly and really enjoyed them, I started this one but for multiple reasons I haven't had much time to read over the last week or so so this got put to the side. I had a day off today so decided to finish it. 
Alyss and Redd are still at war but now they also have a common enemy - Arch. Determined to take over and make Wonderland into a Kingdom he disables the Heart Crystal rendering Alyss and Redd's powers useless. 
Alyss must try to defeat Arch and get rid of Redd before all of Wonderland is lost forever.
I was expecting great things from this book after the first two and I wanted it to answer all my questions and I don't know just be exciting. I have to admit I was a little disappointed. The plot felt very disjointed to me, it would move from one scenario and character to another, back and forth and I found myself losing interest and forgetting what was going on. I would just get into part of it and it would change to something else. Not only that but it felt more complicated than it needed to be, I started to get bored, I just wanted the book to get on with it. Normally I will sit and read a book and look at teh page numbers and be like 'wow I've read over 100 pages already' but with this one I would look and be like 'has it really only been 30 pages!' It just seemed to be really slow and at times I had to make myself keep reading.
Overall the story isn't bad and it does resolve 99% of events and character questions but I just feel like it could have been done a lot quicker and with less interruptions.
Good if you want to finish the series, but a bit disappointing in my opinion.

My Rating

     

FF (157)

Follow Friday is an opportunity to discover and follow other book related blogs! Want to join? Check it out at Parajunkee or Alison Can Read

This week's question feature is NJ Kinny’s World of Books

Snap it Time! A picture is worth a thousand words. Anything and anything. Just give us a pic.

My Answer: Last weekend I went to Rome, so I shall some photos from my visit:

The Colosseum

Gorgeous view and pretty flowers
 

The Pantheon

 

Me by the Trevi Fountain 

 Had a fabulous time, I took nearly 300 photos so this is a very small taste of them. :D

Feel like I should post a picture that's book related so here we go:

Don't forget you can order your own book hedgehog. Just follow my link here

Happy hopping and Blogging!

Book Review - The Long Song (Audiobook)

Title: The Long Song
Author: Andrea Levy
Publisher: Headline Review
Release Date: 4 Feb 2010
ISBN-13: 978-0755359400 (book)
ISBN-13: 978-0755384006 (audio)
Read by: Adrian Lester and Andrea Levy

Synopsis 
The child of a field slave on the Amity sugar plantation in Jamaica, July lives with her mother until Mrs. Caroline Mortimer, a recently transplanted English widow, decides to move her into the great house and rename her “Marguerite.”

Resourceful and mischievous, July soon becomes indispensable to her mistress. Together they live through the bloody Baptist war, followed by the violent and chaotic end of slavery. Taught to read and write so that she can help her mistress run the business, July remains bound to the plantation despite her “freedom.” It is the arrival of a young English overseer, Robert Goodwin, that will dramatically change life in the great house for both July and her mistress. Prompted and provoked by her son’s persistent questioning, July’s resilience and heartbreak are gradually revealed in this extraordinarily powerful story of slavery, revolution, freedom, and love. 

My Review
I have been listening to audiobooks in my car for months now and I love it, being told a story as I drive round is great. I listened to all of the Harry Potter's and then the Skulduggery Pleasant series, so mainly old favourites and books I wanted to re-read but didn't have the time for. Then I got to a point where my next book of choice hadn't arrived and I had nothing to listen to, my colleague at work pulled this off the shelf and said it was a really good book and that I should give it a go, so I did.
When I first started to listen to it I really wasn't sure, it's nothing like my usual kind of book and I wasn't sure if I would get on with it, but I decided to give it a fair try and my other book still hadn't arrived so I stuck with it.
This book follows first Miss Kitty as she works in the fields and then gives birth to a baby girl. From then on the story follows little July, who works by her mother's side in the fields until one day when she is 12 the new owner's sister arrives and decides she wants her as a house slave and takes her away. Brought up alongside Miss Mortimer, July learns to read and write and has some privileges other slaves don't have.
To be honest I didn't really know an awful lot about slave movements or Jamaica in general, but this story crafts the setting and events well and is actually quite a gripping tale. I don't know what it is that made me want to keep listening but I couldn't stop.
The book is read by the author herself on the audiobook and so she obviously knows how it should be read, she reads it in the proper accents, Jamaican being the main one but she does do quite a good English accent for Caroline Mortimer. She has one of those voices you can't help but listen to.
I certainly would never have picked this by choice and I don't think I would ever re-read it, but I did enjoy the story nd am glad my colleague recommended it. 
It does have a lot of serious issues in it; slavery, love, murder, suicide, war etc but it is aimed at adults and none of it is over the top. 
If you are looking for something a bit historical or cultural then this is a good book and a worthwhile read.

My Rating

I would maybe rate this slightly above average, so Average +
      

Promo Blitz - Glamour

Townie. That’s what eighteen-year-old Christina Sundy is. All year round she lives in a one-stoplight town on Cape Cod and when summer comes she spends her days scooping ice cream for rich tourists, who she hates. So when one of them takes a job in the ice cream shop alongside her, she’s pissed. Why does a blonde and perky Harvard-bound rich girl like Reese Manning want to scoop ice cream anyway?

Something else weird is happening to Christina: tiny blue sparks seem to be shooting off her fingers. It isn’t long before she realizes the truth about herself — she’s actually a powerful hereditary witch. But her newfound powers are too intense for her to handle and, in a moment of rage, she accidentally zaps Reese into another dimension.

So that no one will notice that the rich girl has disappeared, Christina casts a disguising spell, or “glamour,” and lives Reese’s life while she tries to find a retrieval spell. But as the retrieval spell proves harder than anticipated, and as she goes about living Reese’s life without anyone on the outside noticing the switch, Christina realizes that there’s nothing to stop her from making the glamour permanent… except, of course, her fellow witches, a 16th century demon, and, just maybe, her own conscience.

 Guest Post

Why My Heroines Don’t Kick Ass

What would an urban fantasy be without a “kickass heroine?” From Buffy to Katniss, urban fantasy girls are tough, smart, and not be tangled with. But of course the best part about any kickass heroine is her flipside – her flaws. Whether she’s selfish, has a habit of mouthing off to the wrong people, or is obsessed with her work to the exclusion of all else, the kickass heroine isn’t any kind of super woman (or super girl) at all. Just like the best fictional heroes are also flawed (what would Rocky be without his failure? Or Rambo without his PTSD?) the best heroines are a jumble of fear, failure, mistakes, and regret. Or at least, they should be.

I’ve said before that my favorite characters to write are those who are such screw-ups, so fatally flawed, it would be almost tragic – if they weren’t so endearing about it … or if they weren’t so damn skilled. I love noir novels, where the characters are always mired in life’s perpetual bungling exercises, so I get a lot of my love of failures from that world. But I think these terrible personal qualities make a “kickass” heroine that much more appealing. How dull would a person be if all she did was run from one triumph to another?

Who are your favorite characters from fiction? Are they perfect? Doubtful. Even Katniss Everdeen, who is noble and brave, is basically a relentless, affectless, borderline sociopath… in a good way. Think of one of fiction’s most iconic characters of all time: Scarlett O’Hara, one of the world’s unforgettable heroines, is a total asshole most of the time. But we love the old bird, don’t we? (I know she’s not a fantasy or urban fantasy heroine, obviously… though she lives in a post-apocalyptic hell-scape, so maybe there’s so wiggle room). My point is, I don’t want to write a heroine who’s good, or even particularly likeable. I want to write someone who struggles, who fails, who tries, who is human.

Christina, the main character in GLAMOUR, struggles with her conscience when she discovers her newfound witchy powers would make it very easy to cheat her way through life. She gets help though, from her friend Bridget, who is a sweet person but one whose perpetual need to smooth things over leads her to pathologically avoid conflict. They in turn get help from Nadia, a brilliant firecracker of a woman who is so independent she often alienates people with her bluntness. Do you see a perfect person in the bunch? Hell, some of them aren’t even likeable. But whenever I get a note saying, “Your character’s not likeable,” I want to laugh. Likeability is a sign of blandness. Lovability is a sign of vulnerability and grit, and it’s worth about a thousand times more. 

So, no, my heroines don’t kick ass. They do fall down a lot though. And not in a Bella Swan way, either.

Andrea Janes writes horror, dark comedy, thrillers, and historical slapstick. She is the author of Boroughs of the Dead: New York City Ghost Stories. She is also a licensed NYC tour guide, and offers a variety of ghostly tours around the city. Her many obsessions include New York City history, old photographs, Mabel Normand, all things nautical, and beer. She maintains a personal blog over at Spinster Aunt, where she discusses these obsessions in more detail than is probably healthy.

Guest Post - Brina Courtney

Title: Reveal (Cryptid Tales #1)

Author: Brina Courtney

Genre: YA Paranormal Romance

You think seeing ghosts is weird? Tell me something I don't know.

Shay Tafford's childhood has been fatherless, filled instead with memories of speaking to the
dead. She is forced to hide her unique ability from those living around her. That's why it's been comforting to have Jeremy, a child ghost, as her confidante. But recently he's been absent, perhaps lost as her father is. When Shay meets Hugh, the guy she's had a crush on for weeks, and finds he can speak to ghosts too, she's just starting to find a normalcy in her life.

But as Hugh reveals the truth to Shay, about who she really is and about what it is she can do, he erases all chances she had at a normal existence. Turns out talking to ghosts is just scratching the surface of her genetically engineered gifts. Shay learns she may be part of an age old prophecy that could save the entire race of cryptids.  But can she?

Quotes

"So here I am with a dead girl in my car, in a super creepy forest, stalking a potentially dead father…yeah, not one of my brightest moments."

"She sighs, “Shay you can’t live your life in fear.  If you do there’s just no point in living."

"He turns and leaves, heading towards the math building and though I hate to see him leave, I do love to watch him walk away."

 About Brina Courtney

Brina Courtney is a young adult author obsessed with chocolate, crime shows, and fantasy movies. She's spent the last few years as an elementary teacher and a high school cheering coach. She lives in a small town in Pennsylvania with her husband and two very loud, small dogs.

Links

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Website

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Guest Post

Why have ghosts become this scary object we’re supposed to fear? I’ve never been afraid of ghosts, I’ve just always felt that they’re spirits who have unresolved business. I had never thought they wanted to hurt us until I started to watch scary movies. Then I, and I deduce you, became fearful of these translucent beings. 

So here is what I have to say about that, don’t fear ghosts. Think about all the wonderful people who have died, I really don’t believe they’d be haunting you in such a horrible way. Ghosts have been turned into these gruesome monsters, by television and movies when really I think they’ve been misinterpreted.  But Hollywood is what it is and we can’t deny the American public seems to like watching people be chased by bloodied figures flying down the hall in the dark chasing the victim to their untimely death. We like the gore and the spooky feeling it gives us. Why? I really can’t tell ya. But how many times have you hidden under the covers because of a ghost story?

I think our biggest mistake is we consider demons and ghosts the same entity, but really they’re totally different. Demons are evil spirits or fallen angels and trust me, those are people I would be afraid of. Get your blankets friends, and keep the lights on if you have a demon attached to you! 

But for now, light a candle and welcome the ghosts into our world.

Book Review - Seeing Redd

Title: Seeing Redd
Author: Frank Beddor
Series: The Looking Glass Wars (book 2)
Publisher: Egmont
Release Date: 3 Sep 2007
ISBN-13: 978-1405209885

Synopsis
Alyss of Wonderland's rules has only just begun, and already those who prefer chaos to peace are threatening to destroy everything worth imagining. Trailed by newly appointed royal bodyguard Homburg Molly, Alyss is doing her best to keep pace with the non-stop demands of being queen while attempting to evade Molly for a few private moments with Dodge.
Alyss' life is a challenging mix of duty, love and tough decisions, and then a series of phantom sightings set fire to an urban myth of Her Imperial Viciousness' return and have everyone...Seeing Redd.
Has Redd somehow freed herself and her chief assassin, The Cat, from the confides of the Heart Crystal? If not, then who has resurrected Redd's brutal foot soldiers the Glass Eyes and set them loose to attack Wonderland on all sides?

My Review
After finishing book 1 I had to move straight onto book 2, I couldn't wait. 
This picks up right where we left of, Alyss is rebuilding Wonderland after Redd's cruel reign. She is still discovering who she can trust but trying to be a good and fair Queen, whilst at the same time trying to find out if Dodge is the man she remembered him to be. BUt thinks barely start to come back together before Wonderland is attacked once more by Glass-Eye's and everyone starts to panic the Redd is back, once more into battle, Alyss never knew being Queen was such hard work.
What I loved about this book is that it actually splits into quite a lot of side stories and follows other characters - but each of these insights into others lives all add up to the main story. You get to follow Redd and the Cat, Hatter Madigan, Alyss herself and characters such as Jack of Diamonds. This gives you a wider view of the story and the world and I found this much more exciting as you could watch it all come together from every side. 
I would say this book was a bit slower than the first but still a gripping read and very exciting, it also has some unexpected twists that will keep you on the edge of your seat. 
For a second part of a trilogy it does a great job, it moves the story on nicely, develops the characters well then sets the ending up that leaves you with an explosive storyline for the next book.
I am so glad I finally got round to reading this book and am only cross with myself for not doing it sooner!

My Rating