Joseph Delaney - Arena 13 (Arena 13 Trilogy 1) - Mr Ripley's Enchanted Book Review

This is the first instalment from the new fantasy trilogy by Joseph Delaney and, in my opinion, it's about time. Especially as The Wardstone Chronicles series has now run its course, in my opinion, so it's time for a fresh start; something new for Joseph to push the creative boundaries on. It's time to give us readers another journey, another fight and an adventure that we will, yet again, remember and treasure....

It's time to get both feet firmly settled into this brilliant new book, so welcome to Arena 13. Like no other arena this one will keep you up all night. Here the warriors fight ferociously, so death is never far away. It's very brutal, totally delicious and very dark. It has a medieval/gladiator feel to it even though it has been set within a futuristic time.  

It feels like magical super glue has been applied as you are led deeper into the complex world of Arena 13. As you traverse its many levels, it reads as if you're peeling away the layers of fantasy onion - the more that you read, the further you are plunged into the world of combat, fighting and danger. 

Leif has one ambition: to become the best fighter, but that will not be easy in the notorious Arena 13. Here, punters place wagers on which fighter will draw first blood. And in grudge matches, they bet on which fighter will die. This feeds the plot with many bloody and gory encounters, which will keep the reader engaged and hanging on for more.  The varied methods of combat used in Arena 13 and the ideology behind it was one of the best aspects of the plot. It was inventive and very coherent - the Midgard Glossary will help you to navigate your way through the book.   

I loved the sub-plot surrounding the mysterious creature Hob, an evil being who delights in torturing people, displaying his devastating power by challenging an Arena 13 combatant in a fight to the death whenever he chooses.  Hob's character is very vague; there's just enough detail to let your imagination fill in the gaps, but it works. It is very powerful and sublime. 

You will rattle through this inventive book like a heard of horses on race day. It might be short on the page count front, but it packs a mighty action punch with a very climatic and eventful ending.

My reading experience was one of pure escapism. I absolutely loved this book. I believe that this is one of the best young adult books that I have read so far this year. I also think that it is one of the best books that Joseph has written to date. I'm really looking forward to the next book in the series entitled MY NAME IS KWIN. This new book will introduce more new characters for Leif to battle and to overcome the various challenges that they bring with them. Bring it on soon.....

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/josephdelaneybooks?fref=ts
Website: http://www.spooksbooks.com/

Chris D'Lacey - The Unicorne Files: Alexander's Army - Book Review (Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books)

I really enjoyed reading the first installment of The Unicorne Files back in August 2014. Since then I've been eager to read the next book in the series (Alexander's Army) and finally, here it is. 

The book starts off with Michael's recent success from his first assignment. With the arrival of the crows in his back garden, fourteen-year old Michael Malone sets out on another unexplained mystery for the secretive organisation UNICORNE. Due to the brilliant start, I was fully immersed in the dark world from the very first page of the book; it was truly engaging. I was really excited by the cauldron of darkness and magic that got my imagination buzzing.   

Michael sets out on a deadly mission to the local comic store. You may think that comic stores are tame, but on this occasion you would be wrong. Secret agents have detected unusual activity, which will test Michael's innate superhuman ability to the max. The comic store scenario was fantastically delicious; it exhumed malice and the supernatural. I felt like a little kid walking and exploring the racks of comics, with spooky action figures watching my every move.

The other part of the story that I really enjoyed reading about was Alexander's invisible army. When they came to life, the plot and action increased a notch. Chris D'Lacey used some mind bending imagination in this story; these are some of the best scenes that he has written to date, in my opinion. This book is even better than the first book in the series and that is a rare thing for me to say. 

Every nine year old boy will love this book; it's a whirlpool of events colliding with non-stop action and dark forces. This story is a fantastic and eclectic mix of characters that you will want to know more about. Crow Girl is one of my favourites and would make a good comic action hero; dark, feisty, mysterious and totally unpredictable - always expect the unexpected.  

The narrative is full of non-stop action; a full on fantasy adventure with a good mix of twist and turns. It's not predictable. It's full of mayhem and thrilling danger and actually reads like a comic - compact, neat and very well written.  

This is a really engaging read. The book doesn't answer all of the mysteries that surround UNICORNE and Michael's missing father. However, it does explore Michael's extraordinary power a little bit further and brings about more unanswered questions. Once the book comes to a climatic end, you will need to steady yourself for the next book. The final book in the series, 'A CROWN OF DRAGONS' will be out early 2016. I'm really looking forward to that....

Bryony Pearce - Phoenix Rising Blog Tour 2015 (Good and Evil in Phoenix Rising)

I am really pleased to be apart of the blog tour for Bryony Pearce’s new YA novel, Phoenix Rising, which was published on 1st June 2015, published by Stripes Publishing.  This will be followed by the exciting sequel Phoenix Burning in 2016 which I can not wait to read! 

But first who will you pledge your allegiance to?

Are you #PhoenixCrew or #BansheeCrew?

I swear my allegiance to the #BansheeCrew!  We are feared and fearless!  We are merciless and amoral!  We believe in the ideals of strict hierarchy.  We are mercenary and we will not show weakness!  We will survive at all costs!

Today I have an awesome guest post by Bryony Pearce which is about Good and Evil in Phoenix Rising. 

One the themes I always explore in my writing is the capacity of man for evil. My books are always populated with monsters, but not the dripping, green, sharp-clawed kind; they contain people who have committed great evil and characters with the potential to commit even greater evil.

I investigate the ways that good people could be turned to bad and try to make the reader understand the decisions they make.

I like to think that my main characters sit firmly in the grey areas. Toby has a good moral grounding and an innate sense of right and wrong, but he is also a pirate, who robs the port-master and is always willing to fight.

When I was researching my first book, I came across the Milgram experiment which was conducted in Yale after the war. This experiment has always fascinated me. One of the questions the scientists wanted to answer was whether or not ordinary Americans would have done the same as ordinary Germans were known to have done, during the war, or if the German personality was somehow intrinsically, more evil.

During the Milgram experiment students had to give an actor (who they thought was another student) electric shocks. Almost two thirds kept going until they thought the other ‘student’ was unconscious or dead. They were not coerced or forced in any way; in fact the only prompting was from the researchers who, dressed in white lab coats, would periodically say “the research requires that you continue” when the students faltered.

The answer, it seemed, was that given the same situation, Americans would have done just the same as the Germans.

The experiment has proved of enduring appeal. Last year a game show was held in France. There, 80% of people (who thought they were contestants) continued to shock the other ‘contestant’ way beyond the point of humane behaviour – to the point that the victim stopped screaming and fell silent.

It is both fascinating and terrifying to me, the idea that 80% of us, people who might lend you a tenner, or smile indulgently at your baby as they pass you in the street, would blindly follow authority to the extent of hurting or even killing another human being.

Another experiment followed the Yale one - it was done with Chimpanzees. One was starved if he did not shock the other. The chimpanzee preferred to starve himself rather than injure a fellow.

Are chimpanzees really more empathetic than people? What is it about man that enables him to treat his fellows with ‘inhumanity’?
In the Phoenix Rising books I have characters who are set up as ‘baddies’ who the reader should come to understand and even love. I have characters set up as ‘goodies’ but who have made mistakes and have dark pasts. No one character in my book is the real ‘baddie’ every action can be seen from multiple points of view.

I write according to the adage, ‘everyone is the hero of their own story’. Even the bad guys.

Phoenix Rising has been described as a swashbuckling adventure, and it is. I also hope that is makes the reader think, how would we behave if put in the same situations, a post apocalyptic world, where resources are at a premium and piracy is the only way to survive.

To find out more about Bryony or her work, please visit her website: www.bryonypearce.co.uk or follow her on Twitter @BryonyPearce.

Don’t forget to follow the rest of the brilliant blog tour! 

Also check out my book review: This story was like a breath of salty fresh air rolling on the briny sea. I have been waiting for a book like this all year and finally it landed. This is a swashbuckling adventure with both swagger and attitude. It was so easy to get immersed in this junk-fuelled, dystopian vision. Based around a near future setting, the story takes a look at environmental issues in a candid way. In a world full of political collapse, where fossil fuels have run out and democracy is a distant memory, the main characters set out on a quest to find renewable energy sources. More Here...

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: Middle Grade Children's Book Picks (US Published) June 2015

S.E. Grove - The Glass Sentence - Published by Viking Books for Young Readers (June 12, 2014)
Boston, 1891. Sophia Tims comes from a family of explorers and cartologers who, for generations, have been traveling and mapping the New World—a world changed by the Great Disruption of 1799, when all the continents were flung into different time periods.  Eight years ago, her parents left her with her uncle Shadrack, the foremost cartologer in Boston, and went on an urgent mission. They never returned. Life with her brilliant, absent-minded, adored uncle has taught Sophia to take care of herself.

Then Shadrack is kidnapped. And Sophia, who has rarely been outside of Boston, is the only one who can search for him. Together with Theo, a refugee from the West, she travels over rough terrain and uncharted ocean, encounters pirates and traders, and relies on a combination of Shadrack’s maps, common sense, and her own slantwise powers of observation. But even as Sophia and Theo try to save Shadrack’s life, they are in danger of losing their own.

J. D. Rinehart - Crown of Three - Published by Aladdin (June 2, 2015)
Family secrets combine with fantasy in this epic tale of battle, magic, strange creature's, power, and fate—a Game of Thrones for a younger audience.

Toronia, a kingdom composed of three realms, is wracked with civil war. King Brutan rules with an iron fist. Cruelty and suffering abound. The kingdom’s only hope comes in the form of Brutan’s illegitimate triplets, prophesied to kill the king and rule together in peace. But the road to the throne is long and bloody. Separated at birth and scattered throughout the realms, the triplets face a desperate fight to secure their destiny. Will they survive long enough to rule?

Rose Cooper - I Text Dead People - Published by Delacorte Books for Young Readers (June 9, 2015)

Annabel Craven hopes she’ll fit in—maybe even be popular—at the Academy. She’s worried she’ll stay friendless and phoneless (it’s true). But when she finds a mysterious phone in the woods near the cemetery, one of her problems is solved . . . and another one is just beginning. 

Someone won’t stop texting her. And that someone seems . . . dead. How is Annabel supposed to make friends when her phone keeps blowing up with messages from the afterlife? And what will happen if she doesn't text back? 

Christine Hayes - Mothman's Curse - Published by Roaring Brook Press (June 16, 2015)

When Josie and her brothers uncover a haunted camera, the Mothman legend becomes a terrifying reality that threatens their entire town in this spooky and action-filled novel.

Josie may live in the most haunted town in America, but the only strange thing she ever sees is the parade of oddball customers that comes through her family's auction house each week. But when she and her brothers discover a Polaroid camera that prints pictures of the ghost of local recluse John Goodrich, they are drawn into a mystery dating back over a hundred years. A desperate spirit, cursed jewelry, natural disasters, and the horrible specter of Mothman all weave in and out of the puzzle that Josie must solve to break the curse and save her own life.

New Middle Grade Children's Books - June 2015 - UK Published

John McNally - The Forbidden City (Infinity Drake, Book 2) - Published by HarperCollins Children's Books (4 Jun. 2015)

Get shrunk! Humour and high-stakes combine in the action-packed Infinity Drake series. A BIG adventure with a tiny hero!

Infinity Drake – Finn for short – is still… well… short.

Only 9mm tall, in fact. But before Uncle Al can figure out how to return him to his normal size, another threat materialises that sends the gang to the other side of the world.

After stealing Al’s shrinking device, evil villain, Kaparis, has devised a crazy, ruthless plan: to create an army of self-replicating nano-bots – a hardware virus that will spread from the massive computer factories south of Shanghai, giving him total control of global technology and communications.

Once again Finn is thrown into the action and finds himself on an impossible mission and a race against time: to save himself and the stop the bot infection… before it conquers mankind, one screen at a time…

Katherine Woodfine - The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow

Published by Egmont (4 Jun. 2015)

You are cordially invited to attend the Grand Opening of Sinclair’s department store!

Enter a world of bonbons, hats, perfumes and MYSTERIES around every corner. WONDER at the daring theft of the priceless CLOCKWORK SPARROW! TREMBLE as the most DASTARDLY criminals in London enact their wicked plans! GASP as our bold heroines, Miss Sophie Taylor and Miss Lilian Rose, CRACK CODES, DEVOUR ICED BUNS and vow to bring the villains to justice…

Hilary McKay - Binny in Secret - Published by Hodder Children's Books (4 Jun. 2015)

With her awful secondhand uniform and stuck-up classmates, Binny's new school is horrible. And life gets even worse when a storm damages the roof of her house, forcing Binny and her family to move to the countryside whilst it's being fixed. Binny, her sensible older sister Clem, and her rambunctious brother James (and his chickens) begin adjusting to life in the country. Then one of James's beloved chickens vanishes and Binny finds strange footprints in the mud. What kind of creature is lurking in the undergrowth?

Lindsey Barraclough - The Mark of Cain - Published by Corgi Children's (4 Jun. 2015)

1567. Aphra is not a normal child. Found abandoned as a baby among the reeds and rushes, the two outcast witches who raise her in their isolated cottage are never sure if she was born, or just pushed up through the foul, black mud for them to find. Little Aphra's gifts in the dark craft are clear, even as an infant, but soon even her guardians begin to fear her. When a violent fire destroys their home, Aphra is left to fend for herself. Years of begging and stealing make her strong, but they also make her bitter, for she is shunned and feared by everyone she meets. Until she reaches Bryers Guerdon and meets the man they call Long Lankin - the leper. Ostracized and tormented, he is the only person willing to help her. And together, they plot their revenge. 1962 Four years have passed since the death of Ida Guerdon, and Cora is back in Bryers Guerdon in the manor house her aunt left to her. It is a cold, bitter winter, and the horrifying events of that sweltering summer in 1958 seem long past. Until Cora's father arranges for some restoration work to take place at Guerdon Hall, and it seems that something hidden there long ago has been disturbed. The spirit of Aphra Rushes - intent on finishing what she began, four centuries ago.

Cassie Beasley - Circus Mirandus - Book Review (Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books)

The Circus is coming to town under a magical veil of mystery, magic and intrigue. This is a fantastic story that has been picked from the publisher that has wings and will easily soar into the heart of the reader through the emotionally charged energy that it holds. It is sensitively told; tackling some of the challenges of life and the sadness of dealing with hope and death. 

Micah's beloved grandfather is gravely sick and close to death. His elusive past brings a magical world of Circus Mirandus to his grandson (Micah) which is stunning and rich in detail. It will have you engrossed from the first to the very last page. The rights have already been sold to be made into a film, even before publication. This story should easily translate to the big screen in cinematic quality.  

Micah and his best friend, Jenny, find themselves on an action journey to uncover the mystery and the truth about Circus Mirandus before it's too late. Does it really exist? Great-Aunt Gertrudis has arrived to take care of Grandpa Ephraim, but she is very bitter and has a personality which is harder than a bag of nails in a boxing ring. It makes you feel for the characters, but it also brings a greater sense of sadness which instills some reality into the fantasy world and poses many questions as to what might happen. 

Mr Lightbender is a great circus magician who can bend light and grant miracles. However, is he able to deliver these? This story is a stroll down the imaginative path with twists and turns to make you temporarily stumble. It's a timeless classic for the future. Fuelled with excitement, Micah has to navigate a balloon flight of madness, wrestle giant white tigers and meet an elephant who can do maths! The strangeness continues to unfold the more that you read on. 

This is such a thrilling debut voice, in my opinion, and is reminiscent to early Cornelia Funke books (also published by Chicken House). The narrative will appeal to the middle grade audience 9+ and both genders. This book is very funny and yet, only minutes later, it can then become rather sad. However this is the joy of reading such a clever book. A book that rejoices the power of seeing magic in the world through an illusion of hope right until the unexpected end. 

The eye-catching book cover is stunning. The spiral striped edges will help the book to be selected from the bookshelves and tempt all would-be readers, whatever the age. This is a recommended family read with a sequel that will be at the top of my list. 

Published by Chicken House Ltd (4 June, 2015) and Dial Books in the US (2 June, 2015)

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: New Children's/Teen Book Picks - June 2015 - UK Post One

David Almond - A Song for Ella Grey - Published by Hodder Children's Books (4 Jun. 2015)

I'm the one who's left behind. I'm the one to tell the tale. I knew them both... knew how they lived and how they died.

Claire is Ella Grey's best friend. She's there when the whirlwind arrives on the scene: catapulted into a North East landscape of gutted shipyards; of high arched bridges and ancient collapsed mines. She witnesses a love so dramatic it is as if her best friend has been captured and taken from her. But the loss of her friend to the arms of Orpheus is nothing compared to the loss she feels when Ella is taken from the world. This is her story - as she bears witness to a love so complete; so sure, that not even death can prove final.

Eoin Colfer - The Forever Man ( W.A.R.P. Book 3) - Published by Puffin (23 Jun. 2015)

You can't outrun your own history . . .

Still trapped in Victorian London, FBI agent Chevie Savano is determined to help her friend Riley find his long-lost brother. But the WARP wormhole has other ideas . . .

Pulled two centuries into the past, Chevie and Riley find themselves in the village of Mandrake. Under siege from prowling monsters that have escaped from the wormhole, the village's only protector is the sinister Witchfinder - a man with a hidden past and deadly powers.

With Chevie branded a witch and sentenced to be burned at the stake, can Riley thwart the Witchfinder's plans before he destroys them all?

Lucy Saxon - The Almost King ( Take Back the Skies 2) - Published by Bloomsbury Children's (4 Jun. 2015)

Thrilling, edge-of-seat fantasy adventure from the author of Take Back the Skies. Set in the same world, but with a new hero and an action-packed dramatic story ...

Aleks Vasin is the youngest of four brothers, each with his path mapped out. But Aleks doesn't want to work in his father's shop in a village in the westernmost corner of Siberene for the rest of his life. Tired of being picked on and treated like the runt of the family, he decides to save his parents the cost of his keep and leave. First he heads south - though everyone tells him not to - to Rudavin, headquarters of the Kingsguard. He signs up for the army, little knowing what brutality it entails. After only a few weeks, Aleks realises that this garrison is full of liars and thieves; he's signed away four years of his life to a commander who steals his money and a captain whose only goal is power. This is not a noble destiny. After a brutal beating, Aleks escapes into the night, hoping to find safety and a new life somewhere in the north. And there, this deserter finds LOVE, ADVENTURE and a SKYSHIP in which he might just prove himself a hero after all ...

Helen Falconer - The Changeling - Published by Corgi Childrens (4 Jun. 2015)

Some of us are born to be magic.

Aoife is an ordinary teenager, hanging out with her childhood friend Carla, putting up with school. The worst she has to contend with is that the boy of Carla’s dreams is trying to get off with her instead.

But then, after chasing a lost little girl no one seems to be able to see, Aoife starts to develop mysterious powers. Eventually her parents confess that she isn’t their real daughter. Their human child was stolen by the fairies, and Aoife is the changeling left behind in her place.

Shocked and disorientated, Aoife turns to Shay, the taciturn farmer’s son who is the only person who might believe her story. Together, they embark on a dangerous journey, which takes them deep into the underworld and changes everything they thought they knew about fairies.

Bryony Pearce - Phoenix Rising - Book Review (Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books)

Book Synopsis: Sail. Salvage. Survive. Toby's father is a wanted man. For as long as Toby can remember, they've been on the run. The Phoenix has become their home, their backyard the junk-filled seas surrounding it. The crew of the Banshee lives for hunting down the Phoenix and now they're closing in. Ayla has spent her whole life fighting - preparing for the moment when the Banshee will face its ultimate enemy. But Toby doesn't want to run any more and Ayla is his only hope. Can he turn an old feud into a new alliance? The future is in their hands.

To survive, would you join the Banshee Crew - feared and fearless - or will you ally with the Phoenix Crew - trusting or True?

Book Review: This story was like a breath of salty fresh air rolling on the briny sea. I have been waiting for a book like this all year and finally it landed. This is a swashbuckling adventure with both swagger and attitude. It was so easy to get immersed in this junk-fuelled, dystopian vision. Based around a near future setting, the story takes a look at environmental issues in a candid way. In a world full of political collapse, where fossil fuels have run out and democracy is a distant memory, the main characters set out on a quest to find renewable energy sources.

The book is aimed at a young adult audience. However, it is evident that whilst the story explores a range of serious issues, the characters still retain their playful and carefree side. It is clear that the story and the characters always remain at the core of the book; it is easy going and not too heavy. At times, it reads more like a higher-level, middle-grade read even though it is aimed at age 12 and upwards. In the main, this is due to some mild violence and perhaps a pirate curse or two. 

The book delivers some very interesting and colourful characters with strong male and female protagonists. There is Toby, the heart and the driving engine behind the Phoenix and Ayla, a feisty, no-nonsense all action-hero who is part of the Banshee crew. However, the star of the show for me is Polly the parrot; you'll love her crazy personality that gets them out of a scrape or two! 

This book has everything for me. There is steam-powered action and tense land skirmishes that leave the Phoenix and the Banshee crews with divided loyalties. The book has humour and tragedy, and explosive sea encounters (with many-a-life claimed by a timely rigging hook to the eye, a sword cut to the gut or a club bashing to the head) but these are all in a days work for the pirates at sea. 

This is a thrilling book full of action and more action. It is is the type of book to get the imagination of the young whirring; a burning cauldron of place, setting and time that will entice any young person away from their computer games. It is a cracking new series which has more to deliver in the future and I, for one, am really looking forward to it. 

                Swear your allegiance with #PhoenixCrew or #BansheeCrew 

Published by Stripes Publishing (1 Jun. 2015)

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: Most Wanted Children's Books - June 2015

Will Hill - Darkest Night (Department 19 BK 5) - Published by HarperCollins Children's Books (4 Jun. 2015)

The brave men and women of Department 19 have fought Dracula at every turn, but now Zero Hour has passed and the ancient vampire is at full strength.

Inside Department 19, the Operators are exhausted and fractured. Jamie, Larissa, Matt and Kate are each struggling with their own demons. When the friends need each other most, they are further apart than ever.

Outside the Department, the world reels from the revelation that vampires are real. Violence and paranoia spread around the globe and, when it finally comes, Dracula’s opening move is more vicious than anyone could have imagined.

A final battle looms between the forces of darkness and the last, massed ranks of those who stand against it. A battle that will define the future of humanity. A battle that simply cannot be lost…

Joseph Delaney - Arena 13 - Published by Bodley Head (4 Jun. 2015)

Welcome to Arena 13. Here warriors fight. Death is never far away . . .

Leif has one ambition: to become the best fighter in the notorious Arena 13. Here, punters place wagers on which fighter will draw first blood. And in grudge matches, they bet on which fighter will die.

But the country is terrorized by the creature Hob, an evil being who delights in torturing its people, displaying his devastating power by challenging an Arena 13 combatant in a fight to the death whenever he chooses. And this is exactly what Leif wants . . .

For he knows Hob's crimes well. and at the heart of his ambition burns the desire for vengeance. Leif is going to take on the monster who destroyed his family. Even if it kills him.

Paul Stewart & Chris Riddell - The Edge Chronicles 12: Doombringer - Published by Corgi Childrens (4 Jun. 2015)

Cade Quarter is building a new life for himself in the wild of the Farrow Ridges, miles away from civilization - and from the enemies who are seeking him. But when his new home is threatened by villainous mire-pearlers, Cade and his friends must find a way to defend the land they love.

The second book of the Cade Saga, part of the Edge Chronicles.

Will Mabbit - The Unlikely Adventures of Mabel Jones - Published by Puffin (4 Jun. 2015)

The first book by brilliant new comic author, Will Mabbit.

When Mabel Jones unknowingly commits 'The Deed' she finds herself swiftly bundled into a sack and carried off to the pirate ship the Feroshus Maggot.

Crewed by the strangest bunch of pirates you would ever want to meet and captained by the dreaded Idryss Ebeneezer Split (a wolf with a false leg carved from a human thighbone, a rusty cutlass sheathed in his belt and a loaded pistol tucked in his pants with no fear of the consequences), the Feroshus Maggotwhisks Mabel Jones off on the adventure of a lifetime.