Blog Tour: United We Spy by Ally Carter

Hey everyone!

I’m so pleased to be part of the blog tour for United We Spy, the last book in Ally Carter’s fabulous Gallagher Girls series!

Series: Gallagher Girls Book #6
Publisher: Orchard Books

Release Date: 5th September 2013

Cammie Morgan has lost her father and her memory, but in the heart-pounding conclusion to the best-selling Gallagher Girls series, she finds her greatest mission yet. Cammie and her friends finally know why the terrorist organization called the Circle of Cavan has been hunting her. Now the spy girls and Zach must track down the Circle’s elite members to stop them before they implement a master plan that will change Cammie—and her country—forever.

Do you have a moment to talk about Macey McHenry? Because I would like to talk about Macey McHenry.

When I first picked up book one of the Gallagher Girls series a few years ago, I was sick of reading paranormal and dystopian stories. I’d been surrounded by books about vampires and creatures and futuristic worlds and I was begging for something different. And different is exactly what I got with the Gallagher Girls series.

Not only was this series full of awesome action and badass teens, this series also had that one character that is vital in making a story even more awesome. The confident, rebel chick who was here to spice things up.

Just when you get used to the friendship circle that is Cammie, Bex and Liz, Macey bursts into the picture with her jet black hair and combat boots. As a reader, you know that she is there to cause a bit of trouble, but a part of you also gets the feeling that the friendship circle in the story is probably going to end up a friendship square.

Macey ends up the fourth and final girl in Cammie’s dorm room and over the course of I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have To Kill You, we begin to see that Macey isn’t the bitch she makes out to be. I love how her friendship with the girls’ develops, especially when she doesn’t start off being too fond of Bex at all.

She is so much more than simply a rich, high society, politician’s daughter. I feel like Macey really stands out the most in the third book of the series, Don’t Judge a Girl by her Cover. This is when we first learn a lot more about Macey’s life. And, of course, we meet Preston. 

Over the course of the whole series, I’ve grown to love her character and she fast became one of my favourites. So I love Macey McHenry, and you should love her too. Here’s why.

• Her short temper makes for great comedy. I adore her first introduction into the school whilst Cammie and Bex are showing her around. At one point, Bex grabs her by the arm and she responds with a classy: “Don’t touch me, b****.” That’s when I knew she was going to be an awesome character.

• She has private jets on demand. Being the daughter of a political figure is a hard job, but someone’s got to do it.

• Her advice on boys: “If he’s shorter than you, slouch.”

• She’s that awesome, she even got her own little spinoff story with Hale, from Ally’s other fantastic series, Heist Society.

• Her perfect reactions to situations. Like the time Cammie and Zach fell right at her feet in book three: One moment I was lying in the arms of one of the most complex (and gorgeous) boy spies ever, and the next I was landing like a ton of bricks on the hard, cold floor of a moving train while one of my best friends stared down at me. And the boy on top of me. And said, "Well, this wasn't on my agenda."

• Basically, her general awesomeness: An eighth grade boy had cornered Macey by the punch bowl and was trying to act all mature, saying, "So, do you want to go somewhere more private?" 

         "That depends, do you want to keep that hand?" Macey replied.

So, I’m sure you’ll all agree that Macey McHenry is a fabulous character. If I was a super-secret teenage spy, I would want her by my side for sure. Who is your favorite character from the Gallagher Girls series? Let me know!

Also, don't forget to head over to Readaraptor tomorrow for the next blog tour stop!

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Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Most Memorable Secondary Characters

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

This weeks topic is the Top Ten Most Memorable Secondary Characters!

1. Magnus Bane from The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices

Although I’d now class his as a main character, he started out as a secondary character. I just love everything about him. His humour, his flamboyant style, his love of glitter and Shadowhunters with black hair and blue eyes… It’s safe to say that Cassandra Clare’s books would not be the same without him and he has turned out to be just as popular, if not more so, than some of the main characters.

2. Nikolai Kretzsky from Between Shades of Gray

Kretzsky was the character that, although he was meant to be disliked, I knew that he wasn’t like the rest of the NKVD officers in this book. His story and his character development is a very important one. Little note for you all: if you haven’t read this book, READ IT.

3. Neville Longbottom from Harry Potter

Oh, Neville. He’s the underdog that you root for constantly through the Harry Potter books. I loved reading his clumsy, blundering moments. It was great to see him get his moment to shine in the last book!

4. Finnick Odair from The Hunger Games trilogy

Do you have any idea how much I cried over Finnick in Mockingjay? I loved him from the moment he came sauntering up to Katniss in that loincloth, offering that damn sugar cube. With his humour and his love for Annie, what’s not to love about Finnick?

5. Haymitch from The Hunger Games

This series just wouldn’t have been the same without our favourite drunk, Haymitch. He provided humour to the story at times, but there was also so much more to his character.

6. Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter

Another secondary Harry Potter character that I need to express my love for. Although she’s introduced as the ‘crazy’ characters, I knew that there was going to be more to her than meets the eye. I love how sweet and positive she is.

7. Mason Ashford from the Vampire Academy

Every YA series needs that funny, adorable guy that harbours a crush on the protagonist. Mason was that character and I loved him.

8. Severus Snape from Harry Potter

Yep, another Harry Potter character. How can I not mention Snape? His story in the Deathly Hallows caused so many tears!

9. Dave the Laugh from the Georgia Nicholson books by Louise Rennison

I know he’d probably classed as a main character by the end, but for the first half of the series, poor Dave was the little underdog. I rooted for him so much.

10. CeeCee Webb from The Mediator Series

It’s no secret that I love The Mediator Series by Meg Cabot. I love CeeCee throughout the books. She is the type of friends I’d love to have around. She doesn’t care what people thinks and I love that about her. 

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Movie Talk: City of Bones

Okay, so I have been a huge fan of The Mortal Instruments for quite a few years now and I, like other fans, have waited a long, long time for this movie. After the casting was completed, I had such high expectations for the movie because of how perfect the cast was. Then after seeing all of the trailer, I was even more excited because the were edited so beautifully. Then, the night before the film was released, the critics reviews started being released. And boy were they harsh. But I never let a critic put me off, so on opening day I got all runed up and headed to the cinema. 

Right, I am an honest blogger. I’m not going to defend everything single thing about something I love, just because I love it. Like The Hunger Games, I’m a huge fan, but could admit when the movie made some mistakes. So I’m not going to say that EVERYTHING about the film was out of this world.

However, the first thing I must say is that I will not hear a bad word about our cast. Every single cast member was absolutely fantastic and I cannot fault any of them. I have to say, Jared Harris really surprised me as Hodge! He was so amazing, especially at the end!

What I will say is that I didn’t like how they went about the whole brother and sister thing. I understand why they made those changes, but it was a bit anticlimactic to have Hodge tell Valentine to lie to them about being related. I also wasn’t sure about the last half an hour in general. There are so many changes with Valentine, the cup and the ending in general. I’m also worried for how these changes are going to affect City of Ashes. It went quite quickly and things seemed a bit unclear. It makes me wonder how well non-readers will cope understanding the plot.

I also think that Magnus’s party was far too cut down. To me and a lot of fans, that chapter about his party is one of the key moments in the book and I just felt like it was very rushed in the film. I do, however, ADORE the fact that they showed Magnus healing Alec. I’ve also heard quite a few negative reviews about Godfrey and I’m really confused by that because I thought he was perfect, his acting as well as his looks. What I didn’t like was the voice dubbing. Who on earth made this decision?? Godfrey speaks clear English and I really hope we get an explanation as to why they felt this was necessary.

Kevin and Jemima – I just have too much love for both of them. They owned the screen as Alec and Izzy. They were exactly how I imagined the characters and Alec’s jealousy is so well done. His sassy lines to Clary were one of the highlights for me. Oh and Aidan. Aidan Turner, just marry me already. He was a great choice for Luke. Lena and Jonathan, once again, I cannot express how great they were.

Of course, I have to also express my love for Jamie and Lily. Jamie, Oh My God. I’ve supported him as Jace from the moment he was rumoured to be getting the part and he did not disappoint me. HE IS JACE. Lily and he are fantastic. The greenhouse scene was something I was torn on though. It was a great scene, but I don’t think they should have played Heart by Heart during it. It should have been one of the gorgeous and epic pieces from our wonderful composer, because his music was perfect and it would have been better for the atmosphere. The aftermath of the kiss though, when Simon finds them? I LOVED IT.

Okay, so do you have a week or 30 to talk about how much I love Robert Sheehan as Simon? I don’t even have words to describe how perfect he is. He captures Simon’s humor PERFECTLY. The funny tension between him and Jace is fabulous!

The humor is another thing that I’m extremely pleased with. They kept so many of Cassie’s classic dialogue in the book and there were so many hilarious moments. I don’t know why, but Simon drawing horns and a mustache on Clary’s drawing of Jace cracked me up for ages. I was actually crying with laughter over that tiny part.

Let’s talk about Valentine’s henchmen. Now, I was expecting them to be evil and scary, but making them quite funny was a brilliant move. The fact that they were losers was hilarious.

Other pointers I liked: EFFECTS WERE AMAZING. Also, the Pandemonium scene was actual perfection. The Hotel Dumort scene was also perfect.

Other points I wasn’t happy about: Lack of backstory between Valentine and Luke. This was one thing that I really thing the film needed to show. Also, Jocelyn being hidden at the institute, whaaaat?

So, overall I really REALLY loved the first half of this film. I do think that things went a bit wild during the last half though. However the characters are exactly as they should be and I’m extremely pleased with our amazing cast. We are so incredibly lucky to have had a film adaptation of our favorite series, so keep that in mind if you don’t like any of the changes in the film. I think critics have been very harsh on the film, because as a whole, it was what I hoped for and was a great film that was well worth the wait. 

Have you seen the film? What were your thoughts? Let me know!

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Trailer Talk: Vampire Academy: Blood Sisters

Hey Everyone!

So, as you probably already know, the Vampire Academy series by the lovely Richelle Mead is being adapted to film. Vampire Academy: Blood Sisters is due out in February next year and we've just been given our first trailer for the movie.



I've seen quite a few negative thoughts online about the trailer, but I really liked it! I think the editors have done a great job in making the trailer look completely different to the other YA film adaptations out there at the moment. They've taken a different approach and it works really well to make the film stand out.

The trailer has also confirmed for me that the casting directors really got it right. Zoey Deutch looks awesome as Rose and even though we didn't get to see much of Danila Kozlovsky as Dimitri, I have total faith in him!

For people who aren't liking the look of this trailer, you have to remember that this is merely a tiny bit of footage from the movie. It's edited to also capture the attention of people who have not yet been introduced to the books. I'm sure that once we start getting more footage, more fans will be reassured.

What are your thoughts? Let me know!

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Film Adaptation: How I Live Now Trailer!

The trailer for the film adaptation of Meg Rosoff's How I Live Now has arrived!

It's been a few years since I've read the book but I've known about the film adaptation for a while now and I've been excited to finally get a look at the film!



First of all, the characters look perfectly cast. They are exactly like I imagined them! And the footage in the trailer looks amazing. I'm wondering how the film plans to address the relationship between Daisy and Edmond.

I'm excited to see the film when it's released on October 18th.

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Review: Anatomy of a Single Girl

Bookish Details:
Pages: 227
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Release Date: 8th January 2013
Source: Book provided for review by author
Buy it From: Amazon

Goodreads Synopsis:
With Judy Blume-like honesty and insight, this sequel to Anatomy of a Boyfriend is about life after first love--romance, sex, friendship, family, and the ups and downs of life as a single girl.

After everything that happened—my first boyfriend, my first time, my first breakup—jumping back into the dating game seemed like the least healthy thing I could do. It’s not that I didn’t want to fall in love again, since that’s about the best feeling ever. But as a busy college premed still raw from heartbreak, which is the worst feeling ever, I figured I’d lie low for a while. Of course, as soon as I stopped looking for someone, an impossibly amazing—and devastatingly cute—guy came along, and I learned that having a new boyfriend is the quickest way to recover from losing your old one.

The moment we got together, all my preconceptions about romance and sex were turned upside down. I discovered physical and emotional firsts I never knew existed. I learned to let go of my past by living in the present. It was thrilling. It was hot. It was just what the doctor ordered.
But I couldn’t avoid my future forever.

In Daria Snadowsky’s daring follow-up to Anatomy of a Boyfriend, eighteen-year-old Dominique explores the relationship between love and lust, and the friendships that see us through.

My Review:

After liking Anatomy of Boyfriend, I was so excited to get the chance to review the sequel. With that being said, it is pretty easy to read the sequel if you haven’t already read the first book!

The story follows Dominique during summer, after completing her first year of college. This is when she meets Guy. At first, she has a relationship on her mind, but Guy doesn’t want that. In his mind, the time then spend together has an expiry date at the end of summer. Dom wanted commitment, but after a bit thinking, she decides to take the chance of a no-strings-attached relationship, hoping it’ll help her to finally get over her ex-boyfriend.

First thing I love about Dom – she is the most relatable character to read about. Her situations, what she feels, it’s all so realistic! I love that about this story, so many girls of that age range will be able to relate to it in some way or another.

I also adore her friendship with Amy. I love that it’s tested in this book, like every friendship. But, of course, they come out stronger. Their friendship is one of the things I loved most throughout the story.

One of the main themes in this book though, is her relationship with Guy. I loved Guy. I think every girl needs a guy like Guy! It was great to see Dom finally take charge of her body and figure things out. The book realistically captures how sex isn’t something that’s perfect from the start. It’s different for everyone and finding what’s right for you can be frustrating!

There are plenty of laughs along the way, and some sweet moments too. Dom’s narration of the story is fantastic and I love how much she develops throughout the story. You feel so proud of her in the last few chapters!

I loved the ending of this story and I found the last few pages to be quite empowering. If you want Hollywood-style endings, you’re not going to find it here. But what you will get is a story with amazing characters that you won’t forget and a relatable plot that you can love and learn from. 

Royal Rating:

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Review: Vixen by Jillian Larkin

Bookish Details:
Series: Flappers #1
Pages: 386 (Paperback)
Publisher: Random House
Release Date: 10th December 2010 (UK) 1st March 2012 (UK)
Source: Sent for review from publisher
Buy it From: Amazon US - Amazon UK

Synopsis:
Jazz . . . Booze . . . Boys . . . It’s a dangerous combination.

 Every girl wants what she can’t have. Seventeen-year-old Gloria Carmody wants the flapper lifestyle—and the bobbed hair, cigarettes, and music-filled nights that go with it. Now that she’s engaged to Sebastian Grey, scion of one of Chicago’s most powerful families, Gloria’s party days are over before they’ve even begun . . . or are they?

 Clara Knowles, Gloria’s goody-two-shoes cousin, has arrived to make sure the high-society wedding comes off without a hitch—but Clara isn’t as lily-white as she appears. Seems she has some dirty little secrets of her own that she’ll do anything to keep hidden. . . .

 Lorraine Dyer, Gloria’s social-climbing best friend, is tired of living in Gloria’s shadow. When Lorraine’s envy spills over into desperate spite, no one is safe. And someone’s going to be very sorry. . . .

 From debut author Jillian Larkin, VIXEN is the first novel in the sexy, dangerous, and ridiculously romantic new series set in the Roaring Twenties . . . when anything goes.

My Review:

You have no idea how much this book made me want to build a time machine, go back to the 1920s, and be a flapper girl.

I’ll start by saying what a refreshing change this book made. I’m so used to being surrounded by fantasy and paranormal books; it was great to read something completely different! I’m a great lover of historical fiction and I hope that this series encourages more historical YA authors to get their stories out there!

Vixen is set during the time of the roaring 20s in Chicago and follows the stories of three young girls’ right at the centre of the Flapper era. Gloria and her best friend, Lorraine, are high society rich girls who aspire to be part of the flapper world rather than the worlds of dinner parties and gossip columns that they’re already a part of. Gloria’s cousin Clara is a girl with a hidden past who comes to Chicago faking innocence and pretending to know nothing of the world of flappers and speakeasies.

Gloria is engaged to be married to one of the most wanted men in Chicago, Sebastian Grey, but she wants her chance to experience some final freedom before she starts her new life as a bride. So Gloria and her friend Marcus end up making their way inside the Green Mill, the biggest speakeasy in Chicago.

That is when she first claps eyes on musician, Jerome Johnson. Desperate to catch his attention and fit in with the flappers around her, Gloria starts to transform herself, much to the annoyance of her fiancé and her mother, and also to the surprise of Lorraine.

The story follows each girl in third person, which makes getting to know the characters a lot easier. You are able to empathise more with each of the girls, even when one of them makes mistakes, because you know and understand their reasoning behind it. Each character is realistic and relatable.

I have to say, out of all of the fabulous characters in this book, I loved Clara the most. I was rooting for her from the start and I adored her relationship with Marcus (who is another amazing character.) I think that all good stories need a character like Marcus, the loyal and funny guy friend.

I love Jillian’s style of writing. Her descriptions of the settings are perfect, I felt as if I was sitting at the bar in the Green Mill. The story really draws you in to the flapper lifestyle.

There were some pretty amazing plot twists at the end! There are some real tense moments were you have no idea which direction the story will go in those last few chapters. The epilogue made for a brilliant cliff-hanger. I’m really excited to start reading the next book in the series!

*I’ll be reviewing the other books in this series soon.*

Royal Rating:

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Waiting on Wednesday: United We Spy!

This is a weekly meme hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine. "Waiting on Wednesday" spotlights upcoming releases that i'm eagerly anticipating.

United We Spy by Ally Carter (Gallagher Girls #6)
Release Date: September 5th 2013

Cammie Morgan has lost her father and her memory, but in the heart-pounding conclusion to the best-selling Gallagher Girls series, she finds her greatest mission yet. Cammie and her friends finally know why the terrorist organization called the Circle of Cavan has been hunting her. Now the spy girls and Zach must track down the Circle’s elite members to stop them before they implement a master plan that will change Cammie—and her country—forever.

The last Gallagher Girl book! Oh how I will probably cry when I have to say goodbye to Cammie, Zach and the girls! Eagerly awaiting the release of this book.

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Summer Is Here!

Hey everyone!

So, summer is here, even though the weather isn’t really showing it that much in the UK. I hope you all have some fantastic plans for the summer months! I also hope you have a summer reading list, because no day on the beach is complete without an awesome book.

Here is my summer pick to settle down with on the beach.

Luke is the perfect boyfriend: handsome, kind, fun. He and Emaline have been together all through high school in Colby, the beach town where they both grew up. But now, in the summer before college, Emaline wonders if perfect is good enough.

Enter Theo, a super-ambitious outsider, a New Yorker assisting on a documentary film about a reclusive local artist. Theo's sophisticated, exciting, and, best of all, he thinks Emaline is much too smart for Colby.

Emaline's mostly-absentee father, too, thinks Emaline should have a bigger life, and he's convinced that an Ivy League education is the only route to realizing her potential. Emaline is attracted to the bright future that Theo and her father promise. But she also clings to the deep roots of her loving mother, stepfather, and sisters. Can she ignore the pull of the happily familiar world of Colby?
Emaline wants the moon and more, but how can she balance where she comes from with where she's going?

Sarah Dessen's devoted fans will welcome this story of romance, yearning, and, finally, empowerment. It could only happen in the summer.

What are your summer reads? Are you reading something new or having a reread? Let me know!

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An Evening With Cassandra Clare!

Hey guys!

So this week I was lucky enough to attend an evening with Cassandra Clare in London with special guests Sarah Rees Brennan and Jamie Campbell Bower! (Who is, of course, Jace in the City of Bones movie.)

Since I live miles away from London, it took me a good three hours to get there. When I arrived at about 3pm, the queue was already huge! There were shadowhunters with runes all over their arms lining up outside St James's Church.

This was the other side of the church, where the line was already spreading to by the time I got there!

When we were finally allowed inside, we had to buy the movie edition of City of Bones to be signed. I love the cover!

Inside the church was beautiful! It was a perfect place to hold the Q&A because it all looked very Institute like.

I ended up on the second to last row in the church, but I had a good view of Cassie. Unfortunately, there was a cameraman blocking my view of Jamie! I did, however, mange lift my camera up to get this adorable picture!

The Q&A was awesome. Jamie and Cassie are so funny! We were shown the trailer for the film, and even though I've seen it a million times before, it was so much more exciting to watch it in a church full of fans.

Jamie revealed that he had decided on a tattoo for TMI. He told us that he was going to get the quote, "I am, after all, what you made me" on his back! He said he loved the "To love is to destroy" quote, but it was a bit dark, so he decided against it.

At the end of the session, Jamie said he had a surprise for us. He said he wanted to sing a couple of songs to thank us for being there! I was so happy because I used to adore Jamie's band from back before he was cast as Jace!

A couple of girls got near the front of the church when he sat down with his guitar so I joined them to get a better view. I managed to film some of his signing and got a couple of great pics!

I also filmed a short video clip as well!

The we were taken row by row to meet Cassie and Jamie and get our books signed. Jamie was so lovely and I noticed he was wearing that famous Morgenstern ring! I chatted to Cassie about London and she said how nice everyone always was to her whenever she came here. I also got my beloved copy of Clockwork Princess signed!

                       
It was a fantastic day and I certainly won't be forgetting it in a hurry! 100% worth all of the travelling and rushing to find a hotel for the night!

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