Harriet Whitehorn - The Company of Eight - Book Review - Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books

Cass has always wanted to audition as an acrobat for the famous Circus Boat that sails the warm seas of the Longest World. But when her chance is snatched away, she comes up with a new plan. Soon she has secured a job on the Palace Boat, following the circus around the islands. Yet Cass has been invited on the boat for a very different reason – and it’s not long before she is embroiled with thieves, sword fighters and a mysterious group of women called The Company of Eight… 

Are you ready to set sail on a perilous voyage? Here we have a marvelous rumbunctious tale from Harriet Whitehorn the author of the Violet books. The Company of Eight will dock in the harbour on the 3rd May 2018 by Stripes Publishing. Exploring this book from page one was an absolute delight and really enjoyable to read. Here we have a fast-paced and spectacularly delivered story from the perspective of Cass, a plucky and courageous young female. It will warm the hearts of the readers as she set sails into a world of peril and self-discovery.

You will hurtle into a swashbuckling affair that will take you to the far-flung corners of the world. Visiting an impressive landscape full of ice bound cities and tropical Islands you will be led into a world full of enchanted magic. It is a creatively imaginative story fuelled by strong-lead female characters. They find themselves facing danger and leaping into a wild and abundant action full of pirates, swordfighters, thieves and slave traders. 

It's a brilliant and easy going read that everybody will love and enjoy, regardless of age or reading ability. It is a book that explores the dreams and ambitions of Cass whilst searching for a life as an acrobat in a circus and travelling the world.  The young female heroin chases her goal and takes some big risks by running away from home. When things don't go to plan, the story unfolds in a dramatic and thrilling way which will captivate your imagination on so many levels.

The narrative will leave the readers asking questions and even challenging their own perceptions. It's a brilliant escape into fantasy which is brimming with peril. It delivers intrigue, fantastic twists and plot-turns with copious amounts of action both on land and sea. However, there is also a sprinkling of old-fashioned magic that gives this book another dimension, which I really liked. 

This is an epic start to a new series with so much more to explore. Especially after the explosive and brilliant ending. So are you ready to join the company? 

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Caleb Krisp by Anyone But Ivy Pocket - Book Review (Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books)

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Book Synopsis: Ivy Pocket is a twelve-year-old maid of no importance, with a very lofty opinion of herself. Dumped in Paris by the Countess Carbunkle, who would rather run away to South America than continue in Ivy's companionship, our young heroine (of sorts) finds herself with no money and no home to go to ... until she is summoned to the bedside of the dying Duchess of Trinity.

For the princely sum of £500 (enough to buy a carriage, and possibly a monkey), Ivy agrees to courier the Duchess's most precious possession - the Clock Diamond - to England, and to put it around the neck of the revolting Matilda Butterfield on her twelfth birthday. It's not long before Ivy finds herself at the heart of a conspiracy involving mischief, mayhem and murder.

Who can you rely on to deliver a priceless diamond to a revolting aristocrat?

Book Review: You'll never feel the same again once you've read this book. Following the unfortunate events of Ivy Pocket will surely leave you feeling unhinged in a rather odd way. Miss Exaggeration is a feisty twelve-year-old full of grand delusions on a massive scale. I still can't help thinking about her days and days after I've finished reading the book. She is certainly a one of a kind character; her exuberant personality is very infectious. I think that all of these attributes may make her one of my favourite new characters of the moment. 

The story is pure mayhem containing a rip cord of crazy events that will skip by you in a blur of pure imagination and great storytelling. This book is full of mild violence which is timely interspaced with some bizarre action moments.You will find yourself laughing one minute at the absurd things Ivy Pocket says and does. The next thing you will be cringing at her brutal honesty and bitter words. However, this creates brilliant reading and is really engaging.

It's very whimsical - full of irony and wicked intentions. I loved the gothic feel that came through which is very reminiscent to Lemony Snicket. Fans of these books will surely love reading this one as well. 

This is a very quirky read and will surely be a future bestseller. It's already been scooped up by many publishers up and down the country. I loved every page of this book. It is a journey full of self discovery both for the characters and readers alike. 

In my opinion, this is a book that any reluctant reader will sink their teeth into and enjoy. The finished copy includes a superb collection of illustrated images by the talented illustrator John Kelly, which adds to this book to create an overall great reading experience. 

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  UK Hardcover: 320 pages - Publisher: Bloomsbury Childrens (9 April 2015)
• ISBN-10: 1408858630 Age: 8-12 yrs

Alex Bell - Frozen Charlotte - Book Review (Red Eye)

Book Synopsis: Dunvegan School for Girls has been closed for many years. Converted into a family home, the teachers and students are long gone. But they left something behind… Sophie arrives at the old schoolhouse to spend the summer with her cousins. Brooding Cameron with his scarred hand, strange Lillias with a fear of bones and Piper, who seems just a bit too good to be true. And then there's her other cousin. The girl with a room full of antique dolls. The girl that shouldn't be there. The girl that died.

If you are looking for a supernatural horror read this January, then look no further then Frozen Charlotte by Alex Bell. It's the first book to be rolled out under the Red Eye imprint, who are set to publish a series of exciting new contemporary YA horror titles in 2015. They feature well-known established authors as well as rising stars that are guaranteed to chill you and thrill you at the same time. 

This book was fantastically gripping - written in a true classic horror style. The narrative was beguiling as it sucked me through the 340 or so pages in a blink of a toad's eye. The start of the book is set in 1910 on the Isle of Skye and invites the mind to play. The intense dark horror unfolds and turns into a fantastic ride of emotions. 

Zipping in time to the present day, Jay and Sophie are playing on a downloaded Ooija-board app; I loved the modern twist to this. Inexplicable things and tragic events soon follow Sophie to her cousins' remote house which is known for its gruesome history. This brings about a terrifying tale that will leave you feeling frozen. The story is certainly not for the feint of heart; it will strike fear in you making you want to dive for cover. Evil antique-looking dolls and a remote stately house that oozes with malignant spirits will have you leaping out of your self-controlled pants!

This is the best spooky horror story that I have read for a teenage audience in some time. The book is not overly predictable, which is actually really hard to find at the moment. The characters are mysterious and have a hidden past, which keeps the reader guessing throughout the adventure. The main setting is very well written and brings a gothic surreal element that intensifies the reading experience. 

I had no expectations about this book before receiving it, so I'm really pleased to say that this is a cracking entertaining start to a new series. It will freeze you to the bone and give you a reading experience to be definitely recommend. If you love a good horror story, then this is the book for you. If you love a fantastically well written story, then this is the book for you. If you want suspense, mystery AND something different, then this is the book for you. 

Dare you read a RED EYE? Out 5 Jan 2015 

NEW BOOK COVER REVEALE: Sarah J. Maas - Crown of Midnight - A Throne Of Glass Novel - Bloomsbury

                                                     

                                     

If you haven’t already seen it, take a look at the stunning UK and US covers for Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas. The highly anticipated fantasy sequel to the Throne of Glass. The book will be published by Bloomsbury Children's on the 15 Aug 2013. 

What do we think readers, which cover do you like?

Synopsis

Eighteen-year-old Celaena Sardothien is bold, daring and beautiful – the perfect seductress and the greatest assassin her world has ever known. But though she won the King’s contest and became his champion, Celaena has been granted neither her liberty nor the freedom to follow her heart. The slavery of the suffocating salt mines of Endovier that scarred her past is nothing compared to a life bound to her darkest enemy, a king whose rule is so dark and evil it is near impossible to defy. Celaena faces a choice that is tearing her heart to pieces: kill in cold blood for a man she hates, or risk sentencing those she loves to death. Celaena must decide what she will fight for: survival, love or the future of a kingdom. Because an assassin cannot have it all . . . And trying to may just destroy her.
 AUTHOR'S BLOG HERE - http://sjmaas.livejournal.com/

Guest Post Plug: #1 Karen Saunders - Me, Suzy P - Templar Publishing

                                                      

People often ask me where I got the inspiration for my novel, Me, Suzy P. It’s the story of teenager Suzy Puttock, a pretty normal kind of girl with a terrible surname, who just happens to be a walking disaster area. The answer is that I didn’t have to look very far to create Suzy, because a lot of her is based on me. I am the girl that had her nose broken in a tickling fight, fell in a huge hole up to my neck while out for a country walk and needed pulling out, damaged my hand and ended up in a plaster cast after opening a window and I’ve also walked into a lamp-post. These are just four examples. There are zillions more, believe me. So hey, why not exploit a lifetime of making a complete donkey of myself?

I also take inspiration from my friends. I have an amazing group of mates, as does Suzy – her best friend Millie (wannabe cheerleader, fuelled mainly by jelly babies), boyfriend Danny (Star Wars nut) and Millie’s boyfriend Jamie (can’t-stop-eating footballer). Other inspiration comes from all sorts of places, celebrities, music, snippets of conversation I hear on the bus...(don’t tell anyone that last one, though. I don’t want people to stop having interesting chats near me). 

So when I started writing I knew I wanted a girl protagonist who was no stranger to catastrophe, who had a tight-knit friendship group. Then I looked around at a lot of the similar books in this genre, and noticed that a lot of them had storylines where the girl wanted a boyfriend. I thought it would be interesting to take a different approach, where a girl already has a boyfriend…but then realises she fancies someone else. 

Yup. Big fat uh-oh. 

Lots of conflict there, and the character put in this situation should end up causing a lot of laughs, I thought to myself.  And I really hope the book’s funny. I certainly had a good time writing it, although it was quite a rollercoaster ride. It had a fair few major rewrites along the way, which did have me tearing my hair out at several points (luckily it’s all grown back now). 

So after all that…I really hope you enjoy it. 

Come visit me online, at www.karensaunders.co.uk, ‘like’ me on Facebook at www.facebook/karensaunderswriter , or follow me on Twitter: @writingkaren. There are also tweets from Suzy Puttock @suzyputtock – so do follow her too. 

Look forward to seeing you around!

Thank you for the post Karen - what an interesting insight into the world of Me, Suzy P. I'm sure that this will interest many followers - if you like the sound of it then go and buy a copy to read. Let us know what you think of it as sometimes a male orientated blog needs some girl power! I look forward to reading all of your comments - male or female!