Mr Ripley's Recommended Book Read: Jan Siegel - The Devil's Apprentice - Ravenstone

The Devil is retiring... but who’s taking over? When teenage Pen inherits the job of caretaker for a London building with no doors and only a secret entrance from the caretaker’s lodge – which she must never use – little does she know it will lead her into unbelievable danger. For Azmordis, also known as Satan, a spirit as old as time and as powerful as the Dark, Immortality is running out.

In the house with no front door, a group of teenagers are trapped in assorted dimensions of myth and history, undergoing the trials that will shape them to step into his cloven footwear – or destroy them. Assisted by only by an aspiring teenage chef called Gavin and Jinx, a young witch with more face-piercing than fae-power, Pen must try to stop the Devil’s deadly game plan – before it’s too late.

By turns very funny, very scary and always thrilling, this is an incredible return to YA for Siegel. Brilliant five star entertainment. 

Published by Ravenstone (10 Oct 2013)

About The Author: Jan Siegel is a pseudonym of Amanda Hemingway (born 1955 in London, UK). Jan Siegel has written in several different genres under several different pseudonyms, but fantastical realism remains her preferred form of fiction. She also works as a poet, journalist, freelance editor, and occasional teacher, her interests covering a wide range of subjects including horse riding, adventure travel and wildlife conservation. First published at an early age, she has spent her life accumulating assorted experiences and then not writing about them. It has been said that an academic is someone who knows a lot about a little, while a writer is someone who knows a little about a lot. Siegel claims she knows very little about a hell of a lot. An idealist, she is continuously surprised to find fact stranger than fiction and real human beings even more bizarre than any character in a book.

Other Books:

1. Prospero's Children (1999)
2. The Dragon-Charmer (2000)
3. The Witch's Honour, published in US as The Witch Queen (2002)

Mr Ripley's Book Review: The Obsidian Pebble by Rhys A Jones - Spencer Hill Press

                           

Spencer Hill Press have delivered what they set out to do - publishing special reads that fall into the category of "I couldn't put it down". Literally I found myself not being able to put this book down. It was such a fantastic read that it will definitely find itself gaining a late entry on my best reads of the year list. This is the first exciting installment in the Artefact series - it is the authors first step into the world of children and young adult literature.  

The amazing story line in this book will definitely help it to shine as it has so much going for it in my opinion. Eleven year old Oz Chambers is the star of the story - he appears to be a normal down-to-earth character who happens to live in a haunted house. However this haunted house is full of secrets and a mystery that will leave you flicking through the pages like a mad Buzzard in a whirlwind in order to get to the end. 

When Oz and his friends hear ghostly footsteps in the boarded up dorm during Halloween, Oz and his friends go exploring. They try to find out more about the eerie reputation engulfing this place. The story is a great journey focusing on friendships, loyalty, school and family life. I particularly enjoyed the way in which the hard lessons in life were explored through the many ups and downs that life can throw at you. The more that you read on the more the mystery engulfs the reader in a magical world that is action packed full of ghostly encounters and mind tingling moments that you will just love.

This book has so much character in it that you will find yourself lost within the 340 pages. It is really well written but, most importantly, the story inside is particularly good. The author has a great ability to write from a child's perspective which encompasses a fantasy magical world that is both gripping and intriguing. There is definitely more than one puzzle to unearth within this adventure. It is a cool, witty and fun book that will have every reader from ten to hundred enchanted and wanting to read more. 

I really hope that this book finds more readers. If this review has enchanted you then you will need to look out for this small indie publisher from the US - I hope that you manage to grab a copy. I am really looking forward to reading the next book in the series. Hopefully I won't need to wait too long.

Guest Book Review: Veronica Roth - Allegiant (Divergent, #3)

                              

Guest Book Review By Sarah @TotalTeenFiction - For more reviews like this take a look    
here: http://totalteenfiction.blogspot.co.uk/ Twitter @TotalTeenFic 

* This Book Review contains spoilers for the first two books in the series as it's the final book in the trilogy.

I was both excited and terrified about going into this book. I loved Divergent, and whilst Insurgent wasn't quite up there with it, the ending had left me on tenterhooks dying to find out what was going to happen next. I was really lucky to get to read this book so soon after release, because I know spoilers have been flooding the internet! Luckily I managed to avoid them and I'm keeping this review spoiler free as well.

My connection with Allegiant was instant. I loved falling back into the writing which was tense and gripping throughout. This book is told from dual POV, alternating between Tris and Four. I thought this worked really well for a few reasons. At the beginning, I think it helped give a real insight into the relationship between Four and his parents which was important to the plot. Without Four's insight, I think that element of the story would have been really lacking. Secondly, it helped cement my love of Four. I've always liked him, but maybe not quite on the same level as others have. In Allegiant I was able to really connect with him as a character and feel for him that bit more during what he goes through. There is a lot of inner turmoil he puts himself through as certain things come to light and he questions himself and his identity. It was really interesting to see how he reacts to those moments, and how that balances out with Tris' reactions.

As the final book in a trilogy, I was expecting Allegiant to answer questions that the previous two books had posed. It certainly did that. Finding out the bigger picture was something I was hoping for going into the book, and I wasn't disappointed. There is a lot of discovery about the wider world which was something I was curious about. I loved being able to appreciate the world Roth has come up with more fully as well as seeing how the characters react in an environment they aren't used to. There's also a chance to visit more of the characters' pasts which was something I enjoyed, as well as an exploration of the factions and their origins.

One of my favourite things about Allegiant, and why I thought it worked so well as a final book in a trilogy, was the way it reflected back on the previous two books. The characters are always reminiscing on their past experiences which made me all nostalgic. I loved reflecting on those moments from the first two books and reliving those scenes. It sounds incredibly cheesy, but it was like remembering a treasured moment with friends, not just characters. I think fans of the series will really appreciate those little touches. I certainly didn't expect to get so sentimental and the fact it made me feel this way has made Allegiant my favourite book in the trilogy. It also helped add to the suspense because the characters are reflecting on their pasts to help them make important decisions about their future, when the whole time you know the book is steadily drawing to a close.

I thought the relationship between Four and Tris was a real strength of the book. I adored their stolen moments together because it provided that touch of normality in this ever increasing craziness that surrounds them. Seeing them together just allowed you to escape from this chaotic environment they find themselves in and reminded you of what is important during troubled times, and provided a great contrast with the other events happening throughout the book. Like with Insurgent, things don't always go smoothly between them, which is understandable with what they're up against and I liked that added tension and intensity between them.

Throughout the book, the characters are constantly challenged and there was a lot of focus on trust and betrayal, friendship and family, love and sacrifice and the fight to protect each other. I loved how all these themes came together and seeing how each of the characters adapted and dealt with situations in their own unique and different ways.

I'm trying to avoid discussing too much of the plot in this review, because I don't want to spoil anything about the book for anyone, and so this review is purely my personal reactions to the story. I found it to be incredibly moving, a lot more so than I was expecting. There were some really emotional scenes that just blew me away and broke my heart as well as some incredible plot twists. All the way through I was trying to second guess what would happen, and none of my predictions came true. Everything that happened was always a shock or surprise keeping me hooked to the pages and lifting my jaw from the floor! I thought the ending of the book was incredibly well done, and I closed Allegiant feeling satisfied that the trilogy and the characters had been done justice. 

Thanks for reading...

New Children's/Teen Fantasy Adventure Books: Published October 2013 - Published US Post Two

                           

Catherynne M. Valente - The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two - Published By Feiwel & Friends (October 1, 2013) - Age 10 - 14
September misses Fairyland and her friends Ell, the Wyverary, and the boy Saturday. She longs to leave the routines of home and embark on a new adventure. Little does she know that this time, she will be spirited away to the moon, reunited with her friends, and find herself faced with saving Fairyland from a moon-Yeti with great and mysterious powers. 

The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two is another rich, beautifully told, wisely humorous, and passionately layered book from New York Times–bestselling author Catherynne M. Valente.
                             

James Ponti - Blue Moon (Dead City) - Published By  Aladdin (October 1, 2013) - Age 9 - 13
When Molly Bigelow discovered that zombies shared New York with humans, she didn’t think life could get more shocking. Then she learned that her mother was once one of the greatest zombie killers ever—and she discovered that her dead mother is not technically dead at all (although she isn’t alive, either).

Molly’s efforts to keep these secrets and to help her Omega team track down the identity of the original thirteen zombies will take her from the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade to New Year’s Eve in Times Square. Her loyalties to friends and family will be put to the test. And her life will be changed in ways she never could have imagined.
            

John Bemelmans Marciano & Sophie Blackall - The Nine Lives of Alexander Baddenfield - Published By Viking Juvenile (October 3, 2013) - Age 10+ 

Alexander Baddenfield is a horrible boy—a really horrible boy—who is the last in a long line of lying, thieving scoundrels.  One day, Alexander has an astonishing idea.  Why not transplant the nine lives from his cat into himself?  Suddenly, Alexander has lives to spare, and goes about using them up, attempting the most outrageous feats he can imagine.  Only when his lives start running out, and he is left with only one just like everyone else, does he realize how reckless he has been.

With its wickedly funny story and equally clever illustrations, this is dark humor at its most delicious.
                               

Kazu Kibuishi -  Explorer: The Lost Islands - Published By Amulet Books; (October 8, 2013) - Age 9+
The highly anticipated second volume to the critically acclaimed Explorer series, The Lost Islands is a collection of seven all-new stories written and illustrated by an award-winning roster of comics artists, with each story centered around the theme of hidden places. Edited by the New York Times bestselling comics creator Kazu Kibuishi, this graphic anthology includes well-written, beautifully illustrated stories by Kazu (the Amulet series), Jason Caffoe (the Flight series), Raina Telgemeier (Drama and Smile), Dave Roman (the Astronaut Academy series), Jake Parker (the Missile Mouse series), Michel Gagné (The Saga of Rex), Katie and Steven Shanahan (the Flight series), and up-and-coming new artist Chrystin Garland.

Lana Krumwiede - Archon (The Psi Chronicles)  - Published By Candlewick (October 8, 2013) - Age 10+ 
Having used his unique connection with the Heart of the Earth to terminate the use of psi, or telekinesis, in the secluded city of Deliverance, twelve-year-old Taemon bears the burden of responsibility for the fate of its people. With society in disarray, his family missing, and tensions looming with the mysterious Republik, Taemon confronts the startling discovery that he alone can still use psi — and that it comes with a price. In an attempt to find his father and prevent war, Taemon and his friend Amma set out on a dangerous journey to the Republik. But what they find there is far from what they expected, and Taemon’s understanding of the world is challenged. Will his psi and his courage be enough to conquer the obstacles standing in the way of peace?

New Children's/Teen Books: Published October 2013 - Published US Post One

Peter Lerangis - Seven Wonders: Lost in Babylon - Published by HarperCollins - 29, October 2013 - Age 8+

Percy Jackson meets Indiana Jones in the New York Timesbestselling epic adventure Seven Wonders! Lost in Babylon is the second book in a seven-book series, chronicling the adventures of Jack McKinley and his race to find the Loculi that have been hidden in the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. In Lost in Babylon, Jack travels to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, where he discovers a world out of time and is faced with a dilemma unlike any he'd ever imagined.

Rick Riordan calls Seven Wonders "a high-octane mix of modern adventure and ancient secrets. The Colossus Rises is Lerangis's most gripping work yet. Young readers will love this story. I can't wait to see what's next in the Seven Wonders series!        

James Dashner - The Eye of Minds - Published by Delacorte Press - 8, October 2013 - Age 12+

Michael is a gamer. And like most gamers, he almost spends more time on the VirtNet than in the actual world. The VirtNet offers total mind and body immersion, and it’s addictive. Thanks to technology, anyone with enough money can experience fantasy worlds, risk their life without the chance of death, or just hang around with Virt-friends. And the more hacking skills you have, the more fun. Why bother following the rules when most of them are dumb, anyway?
But some rules were made for a reason. Some technology is too dangerous to fool with. And recent reports claim that one gamer is going beyond what any gamer has done before: he’s holding players hostage inside the VirtNet. The effects are horrific—the hostages have all been declared brain-dead. Yet the gamer’s motives are a mystery.

The government knows that to catch a hacker, you need a hacker.
And they’ve been watching Michael. They want him on their team. But the risk is enormous. If he accepts their challenge, Michael will need to go off the VirtNet grid. There are back alleys and corners in the system human eyes have never seen and predators he can’t even fathom—and there’s the possibility that the line between game and reality will be blurred forever.

                               

Ann Aguirre Horde (Enclave) - Published Feiwel & Friends - 29, October 2013 - Age 12+

Salvation is surrounded, monsters at the gates, and this time, they're not going away. When Deuce, Fade, Stalker and Tegan set out, the odds are against them. But the odds have been stacked against Deuce from the moment she was born. She might not be a Huntress anymore, but she doesn't run. With her knives in hand and her companions at her side, she will not falter, whether fighting for her life or Fade's love.

Alexandra Bracken - The Darkest Minds, Never Fade - Published by Disney-Hyperion - October 2013 - Age 12+

Ruby never asked for the abilities that almost cost her her life. Now she must call upon them on a daily basis, leading dangerous missions to bring down a corrupt government and breaking into the minds of her enemies. Other kids in the Children's League call Ruby "Leader", but she knows what she really is: a monster.

When Ruby is entrusted with an explosive secret, she must embark on her most dangerous mission yet: leaving the Children's League behind. Crucial information about the disease that killed most of America's children-and turned Ruby and the others who lived into feared and hated outcasts-has survived every attempt to destroy it. But the truth is only saved in one place: a flashdrive in the hands of Liam Stewart, the boy Ruby once believed was her future-and who now wouldn't recognize her.

As Ruby sets out across a desperate, lawless country to find Liam-and answers about the catastrophe that has ripped both her life and America apart-she is torn between old friends and the promise she made to serve the League. Ruby will do anything to protect the people she loves. But what if winning the war means losing herself?

Ahead, the battle of a lifetime awaits. Freaks are everywhere, attacking settlements, setting up scouts, perimeters, and patrols. There hasn't been a war like this in centuries, and humans have forgotten how to stand and fight. Unless Deuce can lead them.

This time, however, more than the fate of a single enclave or outpost hangs in the balance. This time, Deuce carries the banner for the survival of all humanity. 

Mr Ripley's New Children's Books Published October 2013 - Post Two Fantasy/Horror Mayhem

                       

Curtis Jobling - Wereworld: War of the Werelords - Published by Puffin - 3, October 2013

Drew Ferran was born a werewolf. Time has always been his greatest enemy.

Across the Badlands the Catlords have turned on each other. In North Lyssia the Seven Realms' greatest armies gather. And in the frozen city of Icegarden an even deadlier force lies in wait. If Drew wants to save his friends, he must fight - but have the heavens already decided his fate?

All roads lead to war. In the shadow of Strakenberg, and by the light of the full moon, the victors - and losers - will be decided.

Andrew Fukuda - The Trap (Hunt) - Published by Simon & Schuster Childrens Books - 24, October 2013

After barely escaping the Mission alive, Gene and Sissy face an impossible task: staying alive long enough to stop an entire world bent on their destruction. Bound on a train heading into the unknown with the surviving Mission girls, Gene, Sissy, David, and Epap must stick together and use everything they have to protect each other and their only hope: the cure that will turn the blood-thirsty creatures around them into humans again. Now that they know how to reverse the virus, Gene and Sissy have one final chance to save those they love and create a better life for themselves. But as they struggle to get there, Gene's mission sets him on a crash course with Ashley June, his first love ...and his deadliest enemy.

                     

Catherine Fisher - The Box of Red Brocade - Published by Hodder Children's Books - 3, October 2013 

On a mission to recover his father lost in time, Jake finds himself in 1940s London. From the rubble of the Blitzed city, a clue leads him to an eccentric seer of ghosts, three sinister children and three strange prophesies. Two of them soon come to pass, but what is the Box of Red Brocade? Does it hold the secret of destroying the Obsidian Mirror? A talking bird, an invisible girl, a walking wood; the second volume of Catherine Fisher's Chronoptika series is packed with mystery, magic and sinister intrigue.

                    

Hilton Pashley - Gabriel's Clock - Published by Andersen - 3, October 2013

Jonathan is in terrible danger. After his home is attacked by faceless monsters in bowler hats, he wakes up in the strange village of Hobbes End. Built by a fallen angel and hidden deep within a forest, Hobbes End protects those who need to be safe - and nobody is more in need of protection than Jonathan.

Jonathan is the only half-angel, half-demon in the universe, and now the forces of Hell want him for their own purpose. Aided by a vicar with a broken heart, a big man with a cricket bat and a very rude cat, Jonathan races to find the mysterious Gabriel's Clock. If he doesn't find it then his family and friends will die, but, if he does, then he risks starting a war between Heaven and Hell that could engulf them all.

Gabriel's clock is ticking . . . and time is running out.

Mr Ripley's New Children's Books Published October 2013 - Post One

                   

Lily Herne - Death of A Saint - Published by Much-In-Little - 17, October 2013 

Some secrets are so unthinkable you can't even admit them to yourself . . . Lele, Ginger, Ash and Saint - aka the Mall Rats - are hiding out in the Deadlands, a once-prosperous area of Cape Town, now swarming with the living dead. Exiled from the city enclave for crimes against the Resurrectionist State, the Rats face a stark choice: return and risk capture - or leave Cape Town and go in search of other survivors.But what if the rest of South Africa is nothing but a zombie-riddled wasteland? Now Lele has discovered the truth about why the lurching dead leave them alone, she can't bring herself to tell the rest of the gang. And she's not the only Mall Rat harbouring a dangerous secret . . . Can the friends' survive on the road if all they have is each other? Or will their secrets tear them apart?

                     

Marcus Sedgwick - She is Not Invisible - Published by Indigo - 3, October 2013
Laureth Peak's father is a writer. For years he's been trying, and failing, to write a novel about coincidence. His wife thinks he's obsessed, Laureth thinks he's on the verge of a breakdown. He's supposed to be doing research in Austria, so when his notebook shows up in New York, Laureth knows something is wrong.

On impulse she steals her mother's credit card and heads for the States, taking her strange little brother Benjamin with her. Reunited with the notebook, they begin to follow clues inside, trying to find their wayward father. Ahead lie challenges and threats, all of which are that much tougher for Laureth than they would be for any other 16-year old. Because Laureth Peak is blind.
                        

Sophie Jordan - Hidden (Firelight) Published by OUP Oxford - 3, October 2013
'Inhaling deep breaths I wait for it to begin. The battle I've been waiting my whole life to fight.'
A group of vicious hunters are drawing dangerously close to discovering the secrets of the draki (descendants of dragons with the ability to shift into human form). Reluctantly, Jacinda realizes that running away to be with her beloved Will is no longer an option while the safety of her draki pride is at stake. Jacinda vows to use every last breath of fiery determination to protect the pride and for the right to control her own destiny.

But when the battle is over, Jacinda must decide where her heart truly lies . . . with the pride or with Will?
    

Catherine Johnson - Sawbones - Published by Walker Books - 3, October 2013 
Sixteen-year-old Ezra McAdam has much to be thankful for: trained up as an apprentice by a well-regarded London surgeon, Ezra’s knowledge of human anatomy and skill at the dissection table will secure him a trade for life. However, his world is turned on its head when a failed break-in at his master’s house sets off a strange and disturbing series of events that involves grave robbing, body switching … and murder. Sparky, persuasive young Loveday Finch, daughter of the late Mr Charles Finch, magician, employs Ezra to investigate her father’s death - and there are marked similarities between his corpse and the others. The mystery takes Ezra and Loveday from the Operating Theatre at St Bart’s to the desolate wasteland of Coldbath Fields; from the streets of Clerkenwell to the dark, damp vaults of Newgate Prison; and finally to the shadowy and forbidding Ottoman Embassy, which seems to be the key to it all…