Children's and Young Adult Book Picks - February 2019 US Published Post - Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books

Raymond Arroyo - Will Wilder #3: The Amulet of Power - Published by Crown Books for Young Readers (February 19, 2019) - ISBN-13: 978-0553539714 - Hardback 

In book three of the series, twelve-year-old Will Wilder is back to protect the town of Perilous Falls after he's given a talisman with a lock of Samson's hair. But a new dark demon will force family secrets to be revealed, friendships to be tested, and Will's strength to be pushed to the limit.

Will Wilder yearns to join the Perilous Falls Middle School football team. But he was never big enough or strong enough to make the cut until he comes in contact with a talisman containing the fabled locks of Samson. But using the Amulet of Power attracts dark forces to Perilous Falls like moths to a flame.

Suddenly, hunched creatures are shadowing people around town, graves are being disturbed, the music of a mysterious DJ lulls half of Perilous Falls into a stupor, and to top it all off, Will is convinced that a teammate may be a demon himself! 

As he tries to identify the demon before it causes untold havoc, Wilder family secrets will be unlocked, the limits of physical strength and the power of friendship are tested--and Will might even score a touchdown or two.

John August - Arlo Finch in the Lake of the Moon - Published by Roaring Brook Press (February 5, 2019) - ISBN-13: 978-1626728165 - Hardback

“A thrilling adventure full of magic and wonder. John August is a master storyteller.” ―Ransom Riggs, #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

From acclaimed screenwriter John August, Arlo Finch in the Lake of the Moon continues the spellbinding fantasy adventure series about the magic that lies just beyond our world.

Some legends are real. 

For Arlo Finch and the Rangers of Pine Mountain Company, summer camp is more than canoeing and hiking. It’s also a chance to search for ancient forest spirits and discover mysterious messages encoded in tree bark. But when Arlo and his best friends Indra and Wu stumble upon clues about the long-lost Yellow Patrol, Arlo uncovers a stunning history that leads right back to his very own family.

Padma Venkatraman - The Bridge Home - Published by Nancy Paulsen Books (February 5, 2019) - ISBN-13: 978-1524738112 - Hardback 

"Readers will be captivated by this beautifully written novel about young people who must use their instincts and grit to survive. Padma shares with us an unflinching peek into the reality millions of homeless children live every day but also infuses her story with hope and bravery that will inspire readers and stay with them long after turning the final page."--Aisha Saeed, author of the New York Times Bestselling Amal Unbound

Four determined homeless children make a life for themselves in Padma Venkatraman's stirring middle-grade debut.

Life is harsh in Chennai's teeming streets, so when runaway sisters Viji and Rukku arrive, their prospects look grim. Very quickly, eleven-year-old Viji discovers how vulnerable they are in this uncaring, dangerous world. Fortunately, the girls find shelter--and friendship--on an abandoned bridge. With two homeless boys, Muthi and Arul, the group forms a family of sorts. And while making a living scavenging the city's trash heaps is the pits, the kids find plenty to laugh about and take pride in too. After all, they are now the bosses of themselves and no longer dependent on untrustworthy adults. But when illness strikes, Viji must decide whether to risk seeking help from strangers or to keep holding on to their fragile, hard-fought freedom.

Joanna Hathaway - Dark of the West (Glass Alliance) - Published by Tor Teen (February 5, 2019) - ISBN-13: 978-0765396419 - Hardback

"A novel of court intrigue and action-packed military adventure,"* Joanna Hathaway's Dark of the West, is a breathtaking YA fantasy debut--first in the Glass Alliance series.

A pilot raised in the revolution. A princess raised in a palace. A world on the brink of war.

Aurelia Isendare is a princess of a small kingdom in the North, raised in privilege but shielded from politics as her brother prepares to step up to the throne. Halfway around the world, Athan Dakar, the youngest son of a ruthless general, is a fighter pilot longing for a life away from the front lines. When Athan’s mother is shot and killed, his father is convinced it’s the work of his old rival, the Queen of Etania―Aurelia’s mother. Determined to avenge his wife’s murder, he devises a plot to overthrow the Queen, a plot which sends Athan undercover to Etania to gain intel from her children.

Athan’s mission becomes complicated when he finds himself falling for the girl he’s been tasked with spying upon. Aurelia feels the same attraction, all the while desperately seeking to stop the war threatening to break between the Southern territory and the old Northern kingdoms that control it―a war in which Athan’s father is determined to play a role. As diplomatic ties manage to just barely hold, the two teens struggle to remain loyal to their families and each other as they learn that war is not as black and white as they’ve been raised to believe.

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. 

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: Theresa Breslin - Caged - Book Review

• 
  
• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Corgi Children's (1 Sept. 2016)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0552565229

• ISBN-13: 978-0552565226

Carnegie Medal winner Theresa Breslin explores the dangerous world of cage-fighting in this dark and powerful new novel. 

Escaping from a troubled home and struggling to survive on the streets, the abandoned tunnels of the London Underground are a perfect sanctuary for Kai. Along with other teenagers running from their pasts, he finds somewhere to belong in this strange community of outcasts.

But Kai is now facing a very different kind of fight. Every night, led by the enigmatic Spartacus, the runaways must become cage fighters, each fight broadcast to the outside world via YouTube. With gambling profits from these videos racking up, Kai and his friends hope to be able to start a new life. 

Yet treachery and danger are never far behind, and a new arrival threatens the order that Spartacus has worked so carefully to maintain. And then there is the looming finale, the last battle between Kai and his nemesis Leo: the Kill Fight...

As soon as you turn the first page, it will definitely have you focused on the story ahead. Crawling through the darkness will eventually lead you to page one. At this point, the mind will sharpen and flex with these powerful words "Blood has a stale taste. Brings back a memory". You will suddenly find yourself transported into a dangerous world of cage fighting. With a narrative this strong, you will be hooked in like a pro boxer and soon be rocking on the ropes of fantasy in a blink of a punch. 

This is a brilliantly written story full of highs and lows over a period of just one week. Within a very short period of time, you will meet the characters and intimately get to know most of them. Their troubled teenage lives and backgrounds pull the narrative together like a vice. Homeless, being alone and afraid, they are all in search for a place to belong, but will they find it? 

This story was inspired by an ever increasing number of young people living rough on our city streets. The author skilfully draws together her feelings and emotions into the characters very sensitively - it is a delight to read. The story is very much in keeping with the daily struggles of teenage life, for some young people. The sense of being different is evident and explored within this book; it makes you think about how our minds consider and act upon every day issues. It's a real reality check and one that every reader, regardless of age, should and will connect with. It is very thought provoking.

This is a great social story that captures the bonds of friendships. It is very topical and cool with a dark and edgy killer kick. There is a great sense of wonder and intrigue pulling together contemporary ideas and placing them underneath the mysterious streets of London. 

The fighting scenes in the story, perhaps needed a little more work, as they lacked a little bit of realism for me within the story. However, the rest of the plot was fantastic and worked really well; it was maybe a little predictable in places, but so what? The ending was climatic, explosive and tied up all the loose ends very nicely. This is a very satisfying read and one of the best books that I've read from Theresa. It is throughly engaging and is based on a great concept. Great reading and a book, I would really recommend! 

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books/ Ben Illis: Stefan Mohamed Q&A (Bitter Sixteen)

Thank you Ben for your input into the development of some of the questions. Thank you also to Stefan for writing the most detailed responses to the questions. Readers will certainly get a feel for the journey that you have undertaken in writing this story. I'm very much looking forward to reading a copy myself. 
Finally, I'd like to take the opportunity to wish Stefan  a HAPPY BIRTHDAY. I hope that you have a great day. 

Tell us a little bit about Bitter Sixteen.
Bitter Sixteen is the story of Stanly, a cynical and somewhat socially dysfunctional teenager living in the rural Welsh town of Tref-y-Celwyn. Apart from having a talking beagle called Daryl for a best friend, his life is pretty unremarkable – until he turns sixteen and begins developing superpowers, specifically flight and telekinesis. Unfortunately there isn’t much scope for using superpowers in tiny Welsh border towns – but there’s a much bigger, weirder and more dangerous world waiting for Stanly in London…

Give us an insight into your main character(s). What does he/she/they do that is so special?
Stanly’s a slightly troubled individual who’s never really had friends, and considers himself as being very apart from his classmates – he has no time for the politics of school and detests bullies, who tend to target him because he’s odd and different. He definitely wouldn’t consider himself a victim, though. He’d probably like to think of himself as being very enigmatic, sardonic and detached, and he is in some ways, but he’s also very passionate and has a lot of anger in him. Something I wanted to play with in the book and its sequels is the idea that an angry, cynical, socially dysfunctional teenager might not necessarily be the best candidate for superpowers – I certainly would have made a terrible superhero at that age! Lots of typical hero’s journey / chosen one-style narratives tend to feature young men who should be very emotionally immature but immediately rise to the challenge and become the best that they can be. Stanly has a bit of trouble with that, although his heart’s in the right place.


In terms of his powers, I wanted to depict their growth and his experience of them as realistically as possible. What would it actually be like, for someone living a fairly mundane day-to-day existence, to suddenly have these extraordinary abilities? How does it change his perception of himself and the world? Are flight and telekinesis actually useful in practical terms? I absolutely do not want to use the words “gritty” or “grounded”, though, because they’ve been over-used to the point of meaninglessness. Plus there’s also crazy, fun superhero action, because I like to both have and eat my cake.


Why do you think we as readers and movie-goers are so drawn to characters with extraordinary powers? Do you feel the world of the “empowered” in fiction and film is a fair reflection on the world we actually inhabit?
I think it’s very common for people to feel powerless, to feel as though they have very little control and choice over their own lives and over the massive, terrible things that happen in the world, so it’s fairly natural that we would find stories featuring superpowered individuals very appealing, seeing characters with a level of control that we could never imagine having in reality. And when you’re going through adolescence, that kind of powerlessness is compounded by a lot of extra, very potent confusion, which is why I think such narratives are especially resonant for younger readers who are just starting to work out who they are, and define themselves in relation to the rest of the world. There’s also an undeniable thrill in seeing ultra-competent people taking care of business and kicking the arse of evildoers.

In terms of reflecting the world, I think it really depends on the story – in Buffy the Vampire
Slayer, for example, superhuman powers and monsters etc are very much metaphors for the problems of growing up, symbols of empowerment and womanhood etc. Whereas in the DC comics universe, many of the superpowered types are much more like Greek gods; huge, iconic figures who ultimately aren’t very relatable. And the portrayal of such powers is different again in Marvel comics. So I think it depends – and I think the wonderful thing about fantastical universes, even relatively realistic ones like mine, is that you can tell pretty much any kind of story you want to tell, and reflect the real world as much or as little as you want.

You graduated with a first class honours degree in creative writing. How did this influence the shaping of the novel, and your writing in general?
I definitely benefited massively from the course I went on, and I would imagine that anybody who read any of my stuff before and after would have noticed a huge difference! Such courses are definitely not for everybody, but I found spending three years around other writers, both professional and fellow amateurs, honing my craft and just having the time and space to concentrate on writing helped me immeasurably.


There’s a nasty strain of snobbery among certain individuals about creative writing courses – even from writers who are perfectly happy to pick up a fee for lecturing but then go on to bad mouth their students and courses in the press, which I think is both rank hypocrisy and the height of bad manners. Can a creative writing course make you a good writer? Not necessarily, and I think there needs to be some sort of spark there in the first place. But learning about the technical aspects of writing, being exposed to writers you might not otherwise have encountered, learning to take – and give out – constructive criticism and process it properly, rather than throwing your toys out of the pram because oh my God people just don’t get what you’re trying to do – how could that not be beneficial?


Since winning the Dylan Thomas prize for unpublished young writers back in 2010, how much has the book changed?
A lot! For one thing, the original draft had Stanly travelling to a fictional city called Breezeblock (I have no idea why I chose that name – that’s one creative decision that’s been lost in the mists of time), rather than to London. This was because I needed him to go to a city, but when I was 16, although I’d been to London many times, I didn’t know the city nearly well enough to convincingly set a story there. Breezeblock was sort of a Gotham-esque hyper city, the archetypal urban superhero environment, although it certainly had a flavour of London ‘cos that was my only experience of cities. Then in subsequent conversations with my agent, editors etc we decided to change the setting to London, which I think improved the book in terms of accessibility, and made it more realistic. Also at this point I’d spent three years at uni in Kingston, so knew my way around the city better.


More generally, having had so much time to do re-writes with feedback from various people – particularly the extensive and invaluable back and forth with my agent Ben – I’ve been able to tighten the book up a lot, make the dialogue punchier, craft better prose, iron out flaws. I’ve also written several other books in the meantime, some very different from Bitter Sixteen, so that experience has helped. When I won the prize I naively thought that everything was going to immediately fall into place and the book would be published within a year, and while it didn’t end up unfolding like that I’m actually really glad, with the benefit of hindsight. Not only have we managed to find a brilliant publisher in Salt, who really support and understand what I’m trying to do, but I feel that I’ve matured a lot as a writer, as an editor, and as a person. So both the book and I are much better prepared to be going out into the world that we would have been back in 2010!


Not that I’m actually prepared. I’m absolutely terrified. But there you go.

Having written the first draft of this book when you were a sixteen-year-old yourself, how has it been returning to the same character almost a decade later? Has sixteen-year-old Stanly changed much over the years?
Stanly’s been with me on and off the whole time, as I’ve done lots of rewrites of Bitter Sixteen as well as writing two sequels, so I find slipping back into the character’s voice relatively easy. There is a temptation to make the style more fluent, to improve the writing, and finding a balance between making the book better and maintaining the rawness of the teenage voice has been challenging at times. He’s always been quite precocious though, luckily. As a character he’s pretty much the same as he’s always been – the main things I’ve needed to tweak and update have been his pop culture references, and things like that. It’s amazing how something first written in 2005, which is a relatively short time ago, can date so quickly! For example, I barely used the Internet at all when I first wrote the book, and now it’s ubiquitous, so I had to bring that aspect of the book up to date.


How much of you do you feel there is in Stanly? Is that more the sixteen-year-old you, or the twenty-six-year-old?
We’re definitely similar in lots of ways, albeit with one crucial difference – he likes baked beans. Although I don’t know if that’s revealed until book two. Spoilers.

To an extent Stanly is who I wished I was back when I first created him. I was bullied a lot when I was at school, but Stanly brushes it off and turns it around on his tormentors, and uses it as fuel to battle injustice, whereas I was much less confident, much less sure of myself, and I internalised all that stuff a lot more. So I guess there’s some slight wish fulfillment going on there (not to mention the superpowers and the talking dog). Although he’s a terrible student and I was always a very attentive student, terrified of getting into trouble!


In subsequent drafts I’ve tried to address the whole wish fulfillment thing a bit, because there’s something slightly cringeworthy about writing yourself a super duper awesome avatar – particularly as Stanly’s town and school are basically fictionalised versions of the town I grew up in and the school I went to! It’s a very tricky balance. I think writing that kind of wish fulfillment is fine when you’re writing at age sixteen, but it’s harder to justify a decade later. So Stanly’s a bit more awkward than he once was, more angry and impulsive. He has a bit of a superiority complex at school, and he doesn’t have all the answers. He’s also far from blameless in some of the bad stuff that ends up happening to him. I don’t think that protagonists necessarily have to be likeable all the time (although being likeable some of the time helps, of course), flawed characters are much more interesting.


We’re both 100-per-cent geek, though – sci-fi, fantasy etc are the lenses through which he sees the world, same as me. I just never got the job in the comics shop, sadly.


How do your interests in music and pop culture affect and influence your writing?
They play a fairly major role, although it’s something I’m increasingly aware of, and something that I try to dial back depending on what I’m writing. I could very easily have every character I write be a fast-talking pop culture junkie who knows Buffy backwards, discusses obscure musical genres and constantly quotes Star Wars, but in the wrong context you risk both alienating large swathes of your audience and creating a world and characters that simply aren’t realistic.


I think it makes sense in a contemporary-set superhero story to have characters be aware of the history and tropes of superheroes in the media – in fact that’s something I’ve had fun playing with in Bitter Sixteen and its sequels. If you suddenly had superpowers, your mind would immediately leap to superheroes, and becoming a superhero, because they’re such a huge cultural force and their narratives are so iconic. How does that translate to the real world? Does it? Is it remotely practical? I found that interesting to explore.


I’ve also written a separate, standalone novel that’s set in the world of music and is very influenced by my love of music, so in that context it makes sense for the characters to reference different musicians and styles, and to assume a certain level of knowledge – or a certain level of acceptance, at least – on the part of your readership.
But I do have to rein it in sometimes!

How much research do you do?
It depends. For Bitter Sixteen I haven’t had to do an awful lot, apart from making sure that my London geography makes enough sense that a Londoner reading it won’t get completely pulled out of the story! But even then, it’s a hyper real version of London that works for the purposes of this story, so as long as I captured a certain essence I didn’t necessarily feel that it had to be a cinéma vérité documentary version of the city. There are all sorts of issues surrounding London that I’ve become aware of – the super-rich driving other people out of the city, crazy price rises, huge cultural shifts etc – and considered addressing, but I eventually decided that they’d take up too much extra space and would affect the narrative in ways that ultimately weren’t beneficial. There may be room in the sequels, though.


I think research is definitely important – you need to have your facts straight, you need to know what you’re talking about, otherwise your reader won’t be able to suspend their disbelief, and all the punchy dialogue and exciting action in the world won’t stop your story from collapsing. But depending on the story you’re telling, it’s not necessarily the be-all and end-all. If you can effectively dramatise a trip through London’s sewers, for example, and keep the reader’s attention, then I don’t think you need to have done any research into Joseph Bazalgette (thanks Wikipedia!).

What are you working on at the minute?
At the moment I’m re-drafting the third book in the trilogy, currently titled Stanly’s Ghost, although once this draft is done I think I’m going to need to go away and work on something that’s not Stanly-related for a bit! Much as I love the world, sometimes staying in one fictional universe for a long time can feel a bit claustrophobic, creatively. Wow, that looks pretty pretentious written down. I have a couple of standalone novels that I’d like to punch into shape, and the first book in a separate trilogy that needs re-drafting. Or maybe I’ll do something completely new. I’m also writing and performing a lot of poetry, which is great fun and a very different creative outlet from prose. I can always fall back on poetry when prose gets frustrating, and vice versa!


If you could have superpowers, what would they be and why?
Flight. Without a doubt. It’s the only power I’ve ever wanted. Even now sometimes when I’m out walking I look up at the sky and feel genuinely upset that I can’t just take off. Which is totally to do with ultimate freedom and magic and recapturing childhood wonder and the poetry of human flight, rather than laziness.

Is there anything else that you would like to tell us?
Any fans of superhero comics who are not currently reading G. Willow Wilson’s Ms. Marvel must check it out at once, because Kamala Khan is an absolutely brilliant heroine and also a very important character to be headlining a high-profile comic in the current political climate.
Also, please vote on the 7th of May!

Rob Stevens - Would The Real Stanley Carrot Please Stand Up? - Book Review (Andersen Press)

Book Synopsis: Stanley ‘Carrot’ Harris is ginger, tubby and definitely not cool. And he has a secret: he’s adopted, and this makes him feel like he’s never quite fitted in.

On his thirteenth birthday, he receives the one thing he’s been waiting his whole life for: a card from his long-lost birth mother, asking to meet up. But Stanley isn’t sure: what if he’s a big disappointment to her? So he hatches a plan – and he’s going to need a stand-in Stanley, someone who is handsome, sporty and God’s Gift to Mothers.

What Stanley doesn’t realise is he’s about to have the most confusing time of his life . . . just who is the real Stanley Carrot?

Book Review
I was not expecting to enjoy this book as, at the moment, my reading enjoyment appears to be tuned into the nimbus clouds of fantasy worlds. Everything that I read is filled with magical monsters and based on far flung imagination. I enjoy escaping the real world and, sometimes when I'm sent a book of this nature, my heart actually sinks a little. Looking at the blurb on the back of this book, that sinking feeling washed over me, this was not the type of book that I was expecting from Rob Stevens. It was certainly very different to the other books that I have read by him before. 

The only aspect of this book that swayed me to read it was the tagline on the front of the brilliant book cover 'Laugh-out-Loud Funny'. That spurred me on to open the book, read the first pages and take a chance on the story inside the cover. I'm a sucker for a humorous storyline and this book has it in bucket loads. In summary, this book is based on reality that crashes into a truck load of humour. Stanley Carrot is the character at the heart of everything that goes crazily wrong.....

I would like to say that this book is teenage cool, just like the title. It may even refer to one of your favourite songs. However, it also deals with serious and complex issues which some teenagers may find themselves being able to relate to within this story. The main character, Stanley, has bright orange hair and is incredibly bad at sport. He lives with his adopted parents and generally feels unloved. This is further heightened by him becoming a victim of a group of nasty bullies. The story is written very sensitively and in parts was very moving. It provoked me to think deeply about the main character and to see life from his perspective.  

Another issue briefly explored within this brilliant story focused on dyslexia, which again is another difficult subject to write about. I would normally run away from such elements within a book, so what happened? Well, I actually devoured the story in one sitting, which really did surprise me very much. Sometimes the books that you shy away from become the ones that you love the most.

The contemporary plot is a mixed bag of incidents that go seriously wrong. A story about not fitting in with a crowd and exploring hidden talents that will capture the hearts of other people around you. If you're wanting to explore a book that is different, but has a great message about life this then this book is for you. 

This is a really inspiring read; one minute you will be crying tears of joy and the next minute you be weeping tears of sadness. It's a real rollercoaster of emotions and events that will stay with you for some time. However, it will leave you feeling good about yourself; it will make you smile and hug the other people around you. Like the saying goes 'if you smile, then the world will smile back at you'. If any book can do that then it is definitely worth reading and this book can. Aimed at an audience of approximately 11+, this book will be sort after by everyone, but what do you think? 

Published by Andersen on the 5th February 2015. Thank you for sending this for me to review and for taking me out of my comfort zone.

Mr Ripley's Book Review: Mind Blind by Lari Don - KelpiesTeen

Lari Don's Mind Blind is another offering from the newly formed  KelpiesTeen.  This is a brand new teen fiction imprint showcasing Scottish books with attitude. Launched this March, the publishing company has award-winning authors Roy Gill, Gill Arbuthnott and Lari Don discovering the dark side of Scottish fiction through their spectacular stories.

This is new territory for Lari with her first venture into teenage fiction. This story is told from the perspective of a teenage boy called Ciaran and has been particularly well achieved, in my opinion. The story unfolds inside Ciaran's head and/or when he's inside Lucy head, which might not make sense to you yet but it will once you have read the book.

The opening part of the story is immediately captivating with the opening lines ' I killed a girl today, just after the school bell.' This opener literally drags you into the story head first. Although, I did find the first part of the book a little slow going but it was still very intriguing - I really wanted to know more. After the first two chapters, I soon started to glide along once I had got to grips with the first person perspective of seeing the world through Ciaran's eyes, but also alternating between the two different voices of Lucy's feeling and emotions told through the eyes of Ciaran.

Ciaran Bain is a criminal with a special talent: he can read minds. This also comes at a price, emotionally and physically with gripping consequences that makes for brilliant reading. Ciaran's voice punched away in my head and fuelled  me with adrenalin all the way through this adventure. I felt like I was part of the world that Lari had written.

Lucy Kingston Shaw is another main character. However Lucy's sister is dead - she was killed for a secret that Ciaran's family want to bury.  Both characters are thrown together in an epic voyage of discovery as they journey to uncover the deadly secret between their families. They can run but they can't hide; not even from their own minds.

There is enough in this story to keep every reader hooked. It is told through a realistic setting with no magical scenario involved. It is just the pure concept of mind reading which, in this set of circumstances, is an hereditary skill. The deep family turmoil and unlikely friendship both feed off the strong themes of hate, fear and family loyalty which thread through this book. It is a story that will make you think more deeply than most - this is normally something that I might have run away from, but in this case I absolutely loved it. 

This is a great story that has been published by KelpiesTeen. It is a book with attitude, freshness and a story that teens will relate to very much. It has a memorable and fascinating theme that is unique to other current teen fiction that is around at the moment. There's nowhere to hide when your mind can be read. This is available to purchase  in bookshops now - go and grab yourself a copy now.

Book Review: Simon Mason - Running Girl ( A Garvie Smith Mystery) - Published by David Fickling

                         

After a recent mission to find a book to review, I came across this one in Waterstone's Bookshop. I was pulled in by the book cover appeal which was bright, bold and very retro. I was instantly attracted to it - I really loved the look. Book Cover by Lorenzo Etherington. This is my first review of the year of, to be honest, a book that has instantly filled a hole from last years appetite. It really was an absolute joy to find and read.

This is a crime thriller mystery written in the Young Adult genre with a fresh and engaging plot. However, in my opinion, it will also attract an older audience - it really is that good. Simon Mason appears to have written a variety of books that I've not read or heard of before. I believe that this particular book is the the first in a series. 

The main character is Garvie Smith who is a likable character and one that the reader can relate to, especially if you have a teenage son. One of his characteristics is his very high IQ, but unfortunately he is also bone-idle. Until one day, a close school friend, Chloe Dow's body is pulled from a pond, and slacker Smith's life will never be the same again.

Another influential and important character is DI Singh who brings a range of interesting skills and beliefs to the story, which I really enjoyed. Ambitious, upright and methodical he's determined to solve the mystery and get promoted, but the case does not run his way. As a result 'Slacker' Smith and 'Methodical' Singh go in search for answers to bring one of the most dramatic crime roller-coaster adventures that you will have read. 

I would definitely recommend that you give this book a read - it certainly has a lot going on in within the 400 pages. There is a great plot with lots of twists and turns, as well as suspense and danger which are all told within a real life environment to create a very plausible crime. I loved the police transcripts that were written in to the story and the portrayed family life that all the characters have. Real characters depicted emotionally and psychologically to intensify the story. These elements really stood out to me and enhanced the plot.

The solving of the crime takes a fresh and non-stereotypical approach to keep you on your toes. There are many suspects and angles to take into consideration which will keep you guessing as well as introducing more danger in order to spice up the plot. All of this is delivered within a contemporary and modern day setting.

What a brilliant start to a series - wonderfully engaging and entertaining. Full marks for this book.... 

Exclusive Book Cover Reveal: Roy Gill's - Daemon Parallel and Werewolf Parallel Published by Kelpies Teen

                           

It is an absolute privilege for me to share with you, for the very first time, the new book covers for Roy Gill's spring book release. Indie based Edinburgh Floris Books are launching an exciting range of books for teenagers - these books will be published under the new imprint of Kelpies Teen. I'm sure that you'll agree that these covers are incredibly cool and will certainly captivate the teenage audience that they are intended for.

The two amazing covers that you can see are for Roy Gill's Daemon Parallel and Werewolf Parallel books. The second cover is for the new adventure which is part of the Parallel Series - personally, I just can't wait to read this once it has been published! 

In my opinion, these are absolutely fantastic book covers. They really are book covers with attitude - bright, bold and eye catching. However, they also ooze a hint of 'don't read this book before bedtime' message as something might just get you in the night when you least expect it! These amazing book cover illustrations are the work of the talented illustrator Adrian Stone. To find out more about him and his work click Here

I would like to take this opportunity to thank both the publisher and Roy for having faith in me and my blog to show these eye-catching beauties. It really is a privilege for me to share these covers with the digital world as well as being able to share a few of my thoughts with you. We would love to hear what you think so please get in touch. 

To find out more about these books and the publishing company keep an eye out on their new KelpiesTeen Facebook page Here

Book Review: Oisin McGann - Rat Runners

After reading and enjoying other Oisin McGann books previously, I always knew that he was capable of writing such an epic adventure in his career. This new book, to me, has really delivered an all time great fantasy that even Eoin Colfer would be proud of writing. In fact four of the main characters each have Artemis traits about them that you will probably recognise - they certainly work well within the plot. Each has been brought together based on different personalities, goals and ways of working that impact on the adventure. 

Nimmo, Scope, Mankin and FX are all criminal-minded. They work in the blindspots of the city's shady underworld. However, they are soon caught up in a Hi-tech maze of deception, treachery and murder. If they were cats then their nine lives would be an advantage, but being Rat Runners they only have the one. Therefore the question is . . . will they need it? 

They have one simple task to complete which is to steal a mysterious box from a daughter of a dead scientist. This may sound simple, but first they have to invade the army of the "WatchWorld". These are masked, uniformed figures who run the city. They watch you and listen to you from every street corner using their well-equipped cameras, X-ray scanners, microphones and other hi-tech gadgets that we can only dream about. These terrifying SafeGuards can see through walls, hear your heartbeat, even analyse the smell of your sweat and that's just for starters. 

The main course involves the very controlling and evil BOSS guy, Move-Easy, who lives his life of crime hidden underground. With his army of controlled thugs, he deploys them to cause havoc. Then there's pudding - two rival gangs who all want a slice of the cherry pie. This brings an added dimension and a complex driven plot that will have you hooked to the last page. It is certainly a fast-paced, action-packed ride which is full of adrenaline. The imaginative ideas are, at times, slightly over complicated but they are used to good effect and definitely keep you on your paws!  

The attention to detail is phenomenal -  everything has been thoroughly researched from the gadgets, the computer hacking, the undercover surveillance and genetics. All make the reading both fascinating and inspiring. Nevertheless, he has been able to balance this technological combination to create an amazing interactive thriller which is a winner.  This is the best fantasy based book that I have read this year; I loved reading every single page. What can we expect next from Oisin?

Published by  Corgi Childrens (7 Mar 2013)

+++ Tom Becker - While The Others Sleep - Book Review +++

                            

I'm not sure if I've ever mentioned this before about Tom Becker, but he is rapidly becoming one of my favourite authors. Therefore, when I received this book in the post I was very excited to read it. Especially as it is a book that I have really wanted to read this year.

This is the seventh book that has been published so far by Tom Becker and I hope there will be many more to come. He has written five great books in the fantastic Darkside Series. However, the sixth book 'The Traitors', which is Tom's first standalone book, is one of my favourite reads from last year and has been longlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal 2013.  

With this book, While The Others Sleep, Tom has pulled out another cracker. He has written a good, old-fashioned, supernatural thriller that will surely become a classic one day. Alfie Mandeville is the newest patient to be sent to the sanatorium for children. Sent by his father for treatment to make him better, as he suffers from sleep insomnia, he finds himself in a complicated situation. Be warned that reading this book will not help with the curing of any sleep insomnia. Alfie tries to uncover what is going on, but he ends up wrestling with his need for a logical explanation against his sleep-deprived imagination.

Scarbrook House is a sanatorium for wealthy children, it's a fantastic setting for this book. Picturesque on the outside whilst creepy and edgy on the inside; it's a dark place full of twisted secrets. Terrible things have happened within the house and are still continuing to happen throughout the story. This book delivers a mixture of both supernatural horror and mayhem.

Many of the characters have an eerie and disconcerting quality about them. Each character has a story to tell; they are all patients with sinister ailments that need to be overcome. However, they all seek treatment from a rather drunk Dr Grenfell who, in my opinion, needed a little bit more life injected into him as a character and perhaps more background detail in order to enhance the story. 

I think that you will love this book as much as I do. You may find that there are some similarities with another book (e.g. stately building with a twisted historical past told as a psychological thriller) that I have already reviewed this year, but that was also a cracking book. 

This book finishes with a climatic seat-of-your-pants experience. It is written in a very clever way with some amazing touches of imagination. It is a book that certainly lived up to my very high expectations and in more ways then one. I am looking forward to reading the next instalment.  

Published By Scholastic - 4 March 2013

Book Review: The Unfed by Kirsty McKay

                                               

Paperback: 384 pages

Publisher: Chicken House; 1 edition (6 Sep 2012)

Language: English

Age: 12+

ISBN-10: 1908435321

ISBN-13: 978-1908435323

• Book Synopsis:

  The good news: Bobby survived her Undead school trip. Bad news: her best mate, Smitty, is missing. Bobby knows she's got to find him \. even if it means risking it all and going out into the starving-zombie-infested wastelands again. Even if it means taking fellow survivors \- including a couple of old frenemies \- along for the ride. And even if the zombies are not the only ones who are chasing them this time.

  
  
If you are a vegetarian then this might not be the book for you - there is so much floppy dead skin within this story that it would even make a butcher blush! This is the second installment in the gripping Zombie series, and it will certainly not disappoint, if you are gagging for a good horror read. This book starts where the Undead finishes off. No time is lost in bringing the dramatic bus crash into focus as it flips onto its side and everything turns to blank before being flung headlong into more action, as the bloody entrails drip through every page.


The Zombies are growing with intelligence and things are really starting to heat up; there's no time for Bobby to lose. She finds herself in a strange hospital with lots of unanswered questions but before long she is faced with a full-scale Zombie disco, playing to the tune of ripping out flesh and brain feasting! At this point of the story, there is certainly lots to get your teeth into for sure.

The action sequences are well placed within the story. They bring well deployed bouts of scary tension that really create an impact on the reader. The giggles are perhaps optional as the quick one-liners might escape some readers. The slight development of sizzling romantic passion didn't necessarily enhance the storyline for me; at times it felt this was aimed at a more romantic audience. Nevertheless, this book had more graphic detail in than book one. In fact it had been intensely ramped up, which in my opinion was a good aspect, but the jury is perhaps still in discussion for me in terms of the romantic element. 


This was a very engaging and gripping book to read, and to be quite honest, I loved (nearly) every page. It had a good ending in which to start book three, but I hope that this next book will continue to remain imaginative and to consider different approaches in order to keep it fresh.

++++Julie Cross - Tempest - Book Review+++

                                                                 

• Pages 415
• Publisher - Macmillan Children's Books
• Publication Date - 6 January 2012
• Age - Teen
• Isbn: 978 0 230 7526 7 H/back

Jackson Meyer is hiding a secret. He can time-travel. But he doesn't know how he does it, how to control it or what it means. When Jackson, and his girlfriend Holly, find themselves in fatal danger, Jackson panics and catapaults himself two years into his past, further than he's ever managed before, and this time he can't find a way back to the future. All the rules of time-travel he's experienced so far have been broken and Jackson has no choice but to pretend to be his younger self whilst he figures out a solution. Jackson is tearing himself apart with guilt and frustration, wondering if Holly survived. He's also become the target of an unknown enemy force and it seems even his dad is lying to him. Jackson is racing against time to save the girl he loves, but to do that he must first discover the truth about his family and himself.

And stay alive.

Today - Jackson and Holly are in love
Tomorrow - She will lie dying in his arm
Yesterday - Jackson must undo it all

I was totally sold on this book from the synopsis - the time travelling theme is a concept that I really enjoy engaging with. However, within this book, the time travelling aspect is somewhat different to most for two main reasons:

• Firstly, the main character (Jackson Meyer) is able to step back in time due to a genetic gene - no machine is required 
• Secondly, Jackson can only go back as far as he was born which turns out to be around a twenty year span 

This is not necessarily a book that I would have picked up. However, I'm really pleased that I now have and to be honest at various stages, I found it really difficult to put down. You may be thinking (or perhaps you're not!) why I would not have automatically read this book? The reason why is that it's a teenage romantic love story with a mysterious theme. This is generally an area that I would normally steer away from - the paranormal-type romance which is a word that you certainly won't see very often on this blog! However, the secret agent part injects the story with both a male theme and perspective which, at times, helps to play down the romantic side.

I found the whole series of events to be rather well plotted. The nice Sci-Fi feel punched through at the end of the book which, whilst out of character, was well worth it. As a result, I feel that the author created a particularly well written debut book - two more books are due to be published within this series.

This book is fast paced and portrays a realistic teenage college-life. It features interesting science elements and some great characters. One such character is Adam, otherwise known as a computer geek and Holly, who will probably epitomise most teenage boys dream of an ideal girlfriend!

All in all this book was very enjoyable to read - it didn't feel like a book aimed at teenage girls. The sad, fresh and cool amalgamation of genres made this such a fantastic read, which I feel will be loved by all who can get their hands on a copy to read. I certainly hope that we get more of these successful ingredients within the next book.

Check out http://juliecross.blogspot.com/ for a bonus prequel short story which is available for free......

Many thanks to Sally for sending a copy of this book to me.