Tom Huddleston - FloodWorld + DustRoad - Series Book Review - Mr. Ripley's Enchanted Books

Kara and Joe spend their days navigating the perilous waterways of a sunken city, scratching out a living in the ruins. But when they come into possession of a mysterious map, they find themselves in a world of trouble. Suddenly everyone’s after them: gangsters, cops and ruthless Mariner pirates in their hi-tech submarines. The two children must find a way to fight back before Floodworld’s walls come tumbling down…



This is one of my favourite series written by the multi-talented Tom Huddleston. I recently read both books back-to-back and thoroughly enjoyed each one. The book covers are brilliantly shiny and capture the superb illustration by Manuel Sumberac. In my opinion, he is one of the best illustrators around. The first book FloodWorld was published by Nosy Crow Books in October 2019 whilst DustRoad was published just this March 2020. However, with everything going on in the world you may have missed this exciting release.

Both stories encapsulate a dystopian vision that is well constructed and fantastically written. The adventures are imaginative, creative and very cinematic. When you turn the first page of DustRoad, you travel to a world that will engulf you in a fantasy bubble which only pops once you have turned the last page. It is a truly engaging and gripping story, in fact, it's a Sci-fi pleasure to follow the characters through this narrative and be absorbed in a world full of gadgets, tech, and worldbuilding. 

Each book uses the same characters and general ideas, nevertheless, both books work equally well independently. New characters are introduced in DustRoad alongside some of the more unassuming characters from FloodWorld who now find themselves playing a greater role. The stories are layered with equal amounts of action, dialogue, and descriptive narrative that both hooks and immerses the reader. Just like a good action movie, the book has everything you want from bumps, scrapes, danger, and death as well as stilll being able to make the story feel real and meaningful. 

This is a brilliant and entertaining series full of totally addictive mystery, mayhem and madness. It's certainly a great way to pass the time at the moment, so pick your side. Will it be the ruthless Pirates or the controlling Mariners? Whoever you decide to support you'll be grabbing yourself a slice of the delicious action. Out of interest, downloadable discussion notes and a teaching resource pack including activity sheets are available on the Nosy Crow website HERE

The sequel to FloodWorld, this equally cinematic book tells the story of Kara and Joe’s adventures in the US. Travelling with a band of ideological outlaws, they become determined to destroy the Mariners and steal their world. Can the kids come up with a plan to stop the seemingly inevitable destruction?

Alastair Chisholm - Orion Lost - Interview (Nosy Crow) - Mr. Ripley's Enchanted Books

Good Morning, Everybody. I hope you are all keeping well and safe. I'd like to welcome you to this fantastic interview with Alastair Chisholm. Some of you may recognise Alastair as the author of Orion Lost - a fantastic action-adventure story - published in January 2020 by Nosy Crow. This story is perfect for Star Wars/Star Trek and SCI-FI fans. If you would like to read my book review to find out more then click on this Link. 

Otherwise, keep on reading until you reach this fascinating interview. It gives a very interesting insight into the characters, the processes and even allows us to learn more about the author. I'm sure you will find it thoroughly interesting (I know that I did). Hopefully, it will entice you into obtaining a copy to READ and enjoying this brilliant book.

Tell us a little about Orion Lost and what can people expect when they read it?

Orion Lost is a sci-fi adventure story set on a stranded starship, about a group of children who have to take command and try to get everyone home. There’s excitement, and danger, and aliens, and space pirates … and someone is lying to them.

Did you let the story and the characters take you on a journey or did you map out the whole plot and know exactly what you wanted to write?

I had the bones of the story in my head, and it more or less went that way. My editor at Nosy Crow, Tom Bonnick, had some great suggestions that we adapted into the book. I find characters are much more fluid, and I tend to discover their personalities as I write them. Like Mikkel, for example – I had no idea really what he was like at first, but suddenly he was telling me all about his world. And some of the children were originally more like villains, but I couldn’t help liking them!

How did the process differ between writing a picture book to that of a middle-grade fiction book?

With picture books you’re thinking about it page by page, planning how the words and pictures will work together. (Especially once you get to know the artist – I worked with the fantastic Jez Tuya on The Prince and the Witch and the Thief and the Bears, and for the sequel, I was thinking all about how Jez might draw characters and scenes). With middle-grade it’s about creating the pictures yourself, in the readers’ minds. I love both types, but middle-grade (8-12, roughly) is a brilliant age to write for, because the readers are very sophisticated but still willing to take on fantastical ideas. 

What were your thoughts/ideas behind the interesting place and character names?

In some cases, I look through name lists to find one that feels right. Sometimes a name just happens – like for Arnold, the big brash American jock. Once he was Arnold, I couldn’t imagine him being anything else! 

For others, like the Videshi aliens, it came from a mix of the world I was building and what I wanted from them. Videshi are mysterious and strange, and I imagined India being a future space power, and so picked a Hindi word – Videshi – meaning stranger, or foreigner. 

What inspired you to write this book?

Well, I love good sci-fi, especially the Doctor Who, Star Trek, Star Wars kind of thing. So I wanted to create something with that feel. But also, a big theme of the book is the idea of command and responsibility, self-control and self-confidence. Beth, the main character, has to step up and become the Captain, and figure out what she can and can’t do. And for me, this was a lot like the experience my daughters were going through as teenagers, stepping up to take part in the adult world. Much of what Beth learns are things I was trying to say to my own daughters.

How important are stories to you? What books are you currently reading? 

I think stories are what really make us human. As many others have said, we’re basically storytelling apes. We look at a world that’s far too big and complex to hold in our heads, and we turn it into stories that we can hold. And we say, I know this isn’t true, but it’s true enough to get going with. We say, these things didn’t happen, but when I tell you them, you can understand how they would feel. We say, you haven’t been here, but I can make you feel like you have.

At the moment I’m reading a lot of middle-grade fiction, which is great fun! I’ve just finished Dashe Roberts’ Bigwoof Conspiracy, which is hilarious, some zombie excitement in Wranglestone by Darren Charlton, and Joan Haig’s really lovely Tiger Skin Rug book. I’m also chomping through absolutely tons of old Judge Dredd comics :-)

It was lovely to see quotes from children on the Press Release. What has been your favourite quote to date and why? 

It was fantastic, wasn’t it? I was so chuffed! I think my favourites are the ones that say, “I’m not normally into science fiction, but …”. I love sci-fi, and I love how it allows you to tell stories about people, and I hope I’ve managed to convert a few readers!

Oh, and this year some children dressed as Orion Lost characters for World Book Day, and that was amazing! 🤩

How do you think children's books can help children and families during the pandemic we are currently facing?

It’s all very strange right now, isn’t it? The news is grim, people are stockpiling, parents are worried, and kids pick up on that. But it’s also weirdly boring, because you can’t go out, even to school.

I love all stories, including TV, film, and games. But books (and audiobooks) have a special magic because they change depending on what you bring to them, and what you need right now. The same book can deliver adventure and escape, comfort and hope, laughter and empathy, danger and courage. When you’re inside a book, you are its heroes, and some of that stays with you. With the best books, it stays with you forever. That’s probably something we all need right now.

What are you currently working on?

I’m editing my next sci-fi novel, which is a story about robots, and in between that I’m writing a series of dragon books for younger children. It’s quite a mix!

Alastair Chisholm - Orion Lost - Book Review - Mr. Ripley's Enchanted Books

The first book not to be missed this year is Orion Lost by Alastair Chisholm. This story is a brilliant blend of Sci-Fi goodness which is perfect for fans of both Star Wars and Star Trek. The book will be published this week (9th January 2020) by Nosy Crow. Therefore, it's time to grab your boarding pass and take your first journey into a fantasy world that will have you booked and hooked. It's a middle-grade adventure that will have you rocketing out of the orbit in minutes.

Earth is a distant spot on the horizon, millions of miles from home. The Colony ship ORION is four months out of Earth on the way to EOS FIVE when a sudden and unexpected turn of events occurs.  This plunges the plot into MYSTERY as you hurtle into a non-stop action-packed ride. Thirteen-year-old Beth and her friends have to navigate the heavily damaged ship, without the help of an adult crew, as they spin out into uncharted territory. Fortunately, the children pull together using their strengths and skills to try and help them get back home. 

Many of the concepts and ideas in this book I particularly loved. For example, the crew making jumps through space which required all the passengers to be put to sleep. This really gave a fresh angle to the story. The characters were brilliantly written; some of them were gutsy and resourceful as they created a realistic approach to situations. However, there were also lots of fun moments to be had. 

This is definitely one of the best books, within this genre, that I have read for some time. It is a much-needed read that allows you to easily escape and be transported into another world and time. The atmospheric story is full of energy, space pirates, alien encounters and friendships. It's a life-changing adventure which is a million miles from home and it's all awaiting you, the reader, to engage in it from your comfy armchair. So, why not give it a try today - fun impacters on and full-throttle away! 

Nick Cook - Fractured Light: (Fractured Light Trilogy Bk1) - Mr Ripley's Enchanted Book Review

THEY UNCOVERED A THREAT TO EVERY PERSON ON THE PLANET.

NOW AN INVISIBLE ENEMY IS HUNTING THEM DOWN.

What would you do if you started to see something lurking in the shadows of our everyday world? 

That's the reality that Jake Stevens has been pitched into and now he’s questioning his sanity.

Jake’s been an outsider in his hometown Stoneham, England, ever since his life was shattered when his father's experiment into dark energy exploded, killing himself and many others.

When Jake witnesses a satellite crash-landing and starts to receive garbled messages that hint at a conspiracy, a chain of events is unleashed that will threaten the very existence of all life on Earth in a dystopian nightmare.

Can Jake, and the best friend that he froze out of his life, Chloe Haze, a coding genius who’s heavily entrenched with the underground hacking network, figure out the connections of the mystery that link all the events before it’s too late?

This book comes with the following warning: Watch the DARKNESS because the SHADOWS are coming for you. This is the first book in the Fractured Light Trilogy that has been recently self-published (August 2018). The overall appearance of the book is brilliant. In fact, the cracking book cover illustration by Ryan Schwarz featured in this year's book cover wars. Sadly, I see no accreditation to the artist in the book. Nevertheless, in my opinion, he has done an amazing job by making the book appealing to all potential readers. 

The reading experience is an epic sci-fi story which has been written with intelligence and includes some fantastic detail. This surely is down to the research and the author's passion for the subjects he has written about within the novel. I was very impressed (and even slightly thrilled) to enjoy this book as much as I did. I was instantly hooked from the first page and when I had to put it down, I felt like I needed to pick it back up again to carry on reading. I have not felt like this about a book for some time within the YA/teenage genre. 

The book for me is set in the here and now. Ordinary lives are found to be caught up in an extraordinary situation which could be reflected in our future advancements of technology/sciences. The plot is extremely imaginative; I loved the Artificial Intelligence aspect to the well-worked plot. It really pulled me into the story and sucked me into the world of stars and beyond. I loved the Tesla car scene - this was very creative and captured the essence of the story. 

The characters are really well written, especially Jake and Chloe. They felt like real teenagers as you could certainly relate to them. Their personalities definitely shone through and each personal backstory made the adventure more realistic. I was certainly engaged in the ongoing plot. The book certainly has everything that I love in it - bumps, scrapes, near misses and plenty of immersive action sequences. 

This is pure five-star entertainment full of exhilarating and non-stop action. It is littered with factual references and heartwarming character relationships. The book has a great ending to a fabulous story which leaves you feeling satisfied. It will make you want to read the next book in the series .... which is exactly what I'm reading now! The next book, Fading Light, has already been published so you can track down a copy now. It will make a great Christmas present and, at the same time, you'll also be supporting a self-published author. 

Paul Magrs - LOST ON MARS+ THE MARTIAN GIRL + THE HEART OF MARS (The Lora Trilogy) - Festive Gift Ideas

We are getting closer to Christmas, so it's time to start thinking of ideal presents, stocking fillers and, of course, great books to warm you up throughout this festive period. Instead of me promoting this new book, I'm delighted to be able to introduce Lora to tell you more about this amazing series.

Hi, I'm Lora and Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books has kindly let me take over his blog, so that I can tell you about the story of my family on Mars. It's a story like no other a story - you will need to read it to believe it. We are lucky enough for Paul Magrs in writing a truthful account and for FireFly Press for publishing our little family tale. We call it the (The Lora Trilogy) The first in this epic Sci-Fi series Lost on Mars was published in May 2015  and the sequel The Martian Girl was published in September 2016. The last in the trilogy, The Heart of Mars, was published in March 2018. Mr Ripley has been a great supporter of the books and would like to recommend them to you all. This is a great Christmas present for everybody young and old. 

So here is more of my tale so you may know what lies ahead...

Dear Everyone,

There’s not many of us left now. Not after the Disappearances and all the terrible things that happened.

Life was tough on our Homestead, but we liked living there, out on the red Martian Prairie. There was Mum and Da and our crazy Granny with the mechanical leg and the laser eye. Then there was Toaster, our robot, who did loads of work around our place, and who used to be a sun bed once upon a time.

Why did the people of the first landings ever bring a sun bed to Mars? Where the sun’s so blistering all the time? When the heat gets wild and the dust storms come rolling over the plains, destroying our crops and bringing with them the terrifying ghosts of dead Martians.

Oh, yes. That’s where my tale begins. This whole epic adventure begins with the time that the storms came in the late autumn and ripped away all our fields of green corn. We were going to go hungry and cold that winter anyway, and that was bad enough. 

But then folk started getting Disappeared. 

We lost our Gran. She got whizzed away in the night, leaving just her electronic leg and eye behind. Then our Da went too, and we knew who’d got him.

The Martians were haunting us and taking us away one by one…

Heeee heeee heeeeee…

I could hear their laughter when I sat up late at night and my brother and little sister were asleep.

And I knew the Martian ghosts were coming for all of us. 

And I knew that we had to get away. I took the decision for all of our sakes. We would choose the most essential of our belongings and pack up the Hovercarts. We’d saddle up the great lizards who carried all our burdens…

So we set off into the great scarlet wilderness, looking for a new home. We followed the strange signals that came out of the last of our radios. We didn’t know what they were telling us, but there were people out there somewhere, calling us into the unknown…

And there were a whole lot of challenges and dangers that we had to face…

I kept a journal the whole time. I knew that the day would come when I would have to tell you all about our journey and our adventures. 

I knew I would tell you eventually about what happened when those few of us from our town were lost on Mars.

Yrs,

Lora.

'This series really is one of my all-time personal favourites; it is a science fiction delight that everyone should read... (it) will leave you feeling like you've read something really special by one of the best authors around.' Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books

Nick Cook - Death Of Light (Fractured Light Trilogy BK 3) - BOOK COVER REVEAL

Here at Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books, we love to highlight the hidden talent behind some of our favourite book covers. It has been nine years since I introduced the book cover wars to recognise illustrators and the creative teams behind them. With the final of this year's book cover wars starting next week, one of the books starring (or sparring!) in the last battle is Fractured Light by Nick Cook. This novel is book one in The Multiverse Chronicles. 

We are delighted, however, to be able to reveal the author's third book in the series which is called Death Light. It features another very talented book design and illustration by Ryan Schwarz. It is possibly the scariest one published to date. We are proud to be the first to release the image prior to it going on sale this weekend. Look out for a copy and be prepared to be thrilled by another great story. 

Please check the author's Website for further announcements and more information about this thrilling Sci-Fi trilogy. 

ALIENS CREATURE COSTUME & MATT DAMON’S THE MARTIAN SPACESUIT TO BE AUCTIONED IN LONDON UK

ALIENS CREATURE COSTUME & 

MATT DAMON’S THE MARTIAN SPACESUIT TO BE

 AUCTIONED IN THE UK

Sci-fi props & costumes to go under the hammer in upcoming London auction on Tuesday 26^th September 2017

• The Alien Creature Costume from James Cameron’s sci-fi classic Aliens and Matt Damon’s spacesuit from Ridley Scott’s Academy Award-nominated film The Martian are estimated to sell between £20,000 – 30,000 each 
• Incredible sci-fi props and costumes from will be sold as part of Prop Store’s Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction, featuring a collection of film memorabilia worth over £2-3 million 
• A preview exhibition featuring over 300 auction lots will take place between 7^th – 26^th  September 2017 at the BFI IMAX in Waterloo, London
  

Stephen Lane, Prop Store CEO, commented on the upcoming auction – “The Alien creature from Aliens is one of cinema’s most well-recognised sci-fi creatures and we’re thrilled to be featuring this incredible costume in our upcoming auction alongside props and costumes from sci-fi films old and new, including Star Wars, Star Trek and The Martian. These fantastic lots will be sold together with 600 props and costumes from over 230 films at Prop Store’s Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction on 26^th September at London’s BFI IMAX proudly presented by ODEON.”

The Prop Store Live Auction will feature lots from sci-fi classics including:

• Dr. Peter Venkman's (Bill Murray) Jumpsuit from Ghostbusters (1984). Estimate £6k – 8k 
• C-3PO Special Effects Head from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. Estimate £60k – 80k 
• USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D "Pyro" Model Miniature from Star Trek: The Next Generation. Estimate £20k – 30k

The auction will be live-streamed online for fans to track the bidding on auction day. A free preview exhibition will be open to the public in the run up to the auction showcasing over 300 lots from the upcoming auction. Movie fans and collectors alike will be able to see these incredible pieces of movie history up-close.

Registration and bidding is now open. Bids can be placed online at www.propstore.com/liveauction, over the phone or in person.  

The free exhibition is open to the public at the BFI IMAX, Waterloo, London, England SE1 8XR from 10:00am to 9:30pm, 7^th– 26^th September 2017. Prop Store’s Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction, in partnership with the BFI IMAX proudly presented by ODEON, will also take place at the BFI IMAX Waterloo on Tuesday 26^th September 2017 from 12:00pm.

Den Patrick - Witchsign - Signs New Three Book Deal In The Ashen Empire Series ( HarperVoyger)

Natasha Bardon, Publishing Director at HarperVoyager has bought UK and Commonwealth rights (excluding Canada) to three books including WITCHSIGN by Den Patrick from Julie Crisp Literary Agency. WITCHSIGN will be the first of three books in The Ashen Empire series.

It has been seventy-five years since the dragons’ rule of fire and magic was ended. Out of the ashes, the Solmindre Empire was born. Since then the tyrannical rulers have worked hard to banish all manifestations of the arcane from existence. However, children are still born bearing the taint of the arcane, known to all as ‘witchsign’. Vigilants of the Synod are sent out across the continent to find and capture all those bearing the mark.

No one knows when they’ll will appear and enforce the Empire’s laws.

But they’re coming. And gods help those who bear the sign of the witch.

Natasha Bardon said: ‘I’m delighted to welcome Den Patrick to the list. Den is a gifted writer and this new trilogy is packed full of the fantastically complicated and deep characters that readers have come to expect from Den’s work.’

Den Patrick is the author of the Erebus Sequence, published in 2014. The first installment, The Boy Who Wept Blood, was longlisted for British Fantasy Society Best Newcomer in 2015. He lives in London with his fiancée and their two cats.

Den Patrick says:  'I am delighted to sign with Harper Voyager and introduce readers to a world of Vinterkveld, with its many dangers, adventures, and surprises.'

Julie Crisp said: 'With all the grit and imagination fantasy readers of Joe Abercrombie and Mark Lawrence love, Den's series is a perfect fit for Voyager. We're very excited to be working with Natasha and the team there.'

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: Interview With A.P. Winter - The Boy Who Went Magic

Today, it's great to be interviewing A. P. Winter, debut author of The Boy Who Went Magic, to find out more about him and his writing. This is an amazing magical read that was recently published by Chicken House in June 2017.  I send a very warm welcome to A. P Winter - thank you for agreeing to this interview.

Let's talk about writing! How do you want your readers to react when they read the first and last page of The Boy Who Went Magic?

Really good question. I wanted the opening to tap into the excitement I always felt opening up an adventure story as a kid - that sense that anything might happen - and at the ending. I hope the reader feels they've been on a journey with Bert, with all the bittersweet feelings the end of a good journey brings. 

This is your debut book. What did you learn from writing it? 

It is my debut 9-12 novel. I think the most important thing I learned how useful it is to have a good bad guy. Prince Voss didn't exist in early drafts, but once he came to life, it really made a lot of things fall into place.  

I hear you have a discerning palette for chocolate, does this help you write a good story for children? 

I don't know about palette, but there are some complementary skills. Chocolate tasting relies heavily on a good memory, specifically a good memory for sensory experiences, and I think that does cross over with what you tap into when you're trying to create an evocative world. 

Can you remember an early experience where you learned that language had power?

I remember making a teacher cry with one of the earliest stories I wrote. It was about a ghost porpoise who'd had a sad life. I actually thought this meant I was in trouble until she explained it was a good thing. 

What’s the most difficult thing about writing characters from the opposite sex?

I don't really think about it. All my main characters are an amalgamation of people I know and aspects of myself, so I never consider writing 'a woman' or 'a man' - it's more about figuring out who they are and what they want on a character by character basis. 

What did you edit out of this book?

Honest answer - tonnes of stuff. I take editing pretty seriously, and there was a lot that got cut and changed to become the novel it is now. My saddest omission was the pirate island. There was a whole middle section of the book where they hang out with some pirates and get into scrapes, but unfortunately, everything that happened there always felt like filler instead of an essential part of the story, and the pirates had to go. The last remnant of them is a couple of comments about how flamboyantly the crew dress on the Professor's ship (they were glam pirates). I miss those guys.

Has the city of York inspired any part of this book?

I don't want to spoil too much, but York has about two miles of medieval wall that is part of my regular running route -  descriptions of one of the key locations in the book are based on the feeling of running there when it's foggy, and you feel like you're up in the clouds. I mean, I said I wasn't going to spoil anything, but that doesn't take much detective work to piece together. There's a castle in the clouds. It's ace. That was York. 

I love the cover for The Boy Who Went Magic. Do you think that the cover plays an important part in the buying process?

Definitely (it also just occurred to me that the castle in the clouds is on the cover, so I don't know what I was thinking there). I was so grateful for Manual Sumberac's art on that cover. I work part-time in a bookshop, so I know how big a difference it makes to stand out from the crowd, especially when it comes to impulse buys - I don't think there's anything like that cover on the shelves. 

You're hosting a literary dinner party, which particular authors/illustrators would you invite and why? 

I tend to avoid writers like the plague in real life (obviously with the exception of the lovely people at Chickenhouse, or anyone else I follow on twitter, or work with, or anyone else I may have offended there), but I guess it would be fun to hang out with Cervantes. I love his Don Quixote, and he did a lot of prison time, so I'm pretty sure he'd be excited about whatever I cooked. 

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books - Michael Grant - Monster (The Monster Series) #Gone - Book Review

It’s been four years since a meteor hit Perdido Beach and everyone disappeared. Everyone, except the kids trapped in the FAYZ—an invisible dome that was created by an alien virus. Inside the FAYZ, animals began to mutate and teens developed dangerous powers. The terrifying new world was plagued with hunger, lies, and fear of the unknown. 

Now the dome is gone and meteors are hitting earth with an even deadlier virus. Humans will mutate into monsters and the whole world will be exposed. As some teens begin to morph into heroes, they will find that others have become dangerously out of control…and that the world is on the brink of a monstrous battle between good and evil.

This is the first riveting book in the new trilogy (The Monster Series) by Michael Grant. We are introduced to a range of new, exciting and diverse characters whilst also meeting and catching up with the familiar characters from The Gone Series. Michael has integrated both extremely well to create an exciting and compelling story. It really helps to connect the reader with every aspect of the story and can be read as a stand alone novel. 

Readers will be able to easily relate to one, or a number of characters, through the diversity of personalities which brings the universe crashing down explosively. The dome is down and the story has just begun in a fantastic installment that will change the face of the universe and keep you on your fantasy reading toes.

Set four years after the final book in the Gone series. Michael sets about exploring what it means to be a superhero/villain. The characters' superhero powers and reactions do not always make them a hero. One of the characters, through a series of events, soon find themselves becoming the biggest supervillain. It is fascinating to understand and read the characters' motives. It really highlights and promotes the reader to think about the influences and outcomes on people which can change them.

This is a fantastically articulated story that follows a character you might be all too familiar with called "Shade Darby". She has witnessed events that day, with devastating consequences, and vowed never to feel that powerless again. Now, four years later, she gets her hands on part of the meteor that began it all – and that’s when she changes.

This book features a range of sub-plots that leads the reader down many paths. This helps to connect the reader to the previous series by grabbing the attention of older Michael Grant readers as well as new ones. I really enjoyed reading about, and experiencing, the morphing/mutating from the 'ordinary' character to the one with super-human-powers. The transition was a real eye opener in some cases, as the superhero/villain was a much larger than life destructive force and makes you want to run for cover.

The plot line is very definitely driven by action and dynamic battles with a fantastic narrative that might just blow your fantasy socks off. The character's 'monster' forms are a heady mix of emotions and uniqueness. All are combined to create a fast-paced and heart-pounding sci-fi-thriller. It is incredibly well written but would be equally as effective on the big screen. The high-octane action was dispersed throughout the story rather than just at a particular point. As a result, this really enhanced the characters' interactions and developed the depth of the story.

​This book is not out until October, 19th 2017 (UK) Egmont (US) Katherine Tegen so this is a very early review. However, I loved this book so much that I wanted to let the monster urges out so I could not wait to review it. This is the best teenage book that I have read this year - Michael Grant has excelled himself. I understand from Michael Grant himself that Book Two is to be called Villain (2018) and Book three will be Hero (2018). However, this is a long way away and could all change.

Michael Grant lives in San Francisco with his wife, Katherine Applegate, and has written over 150 books - with Katherine, as himself, under pseudonyms and as a ghostwriter. He is best know for the international multi-million-selling young adult six-book GONE series: GONE, HUNGER, LIES, PLAGUE, FEAR and LIGHT. 

Which is your favourite book cover? 
The top one is the UK book cover.
This one underneath is the US book cover. 
I'm very interested to know what you think!