The Fault In Our Stars Trailer Has Arrived!

After all the waiting, we finally have the first trailer for The Fault In Our Stars movie!



I'm so excited to see the film, even though I know it's going to rip my heart out and leave me crying for weeks. I'm loving the trailer, the cast are fantastic and it all looks so faithful to the book.

What are your thoughts? Let me know!

 

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Feature: Top Ten Tuesday

 
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish
 
This week's topic is Top Ten Things On My Reading Wishlist, which is basically what topics I wish authors would write about. This is quite difficult because in the age of eBooks and self-publishing, you can find a book about almost anything! However, there are a few things I'd like more books about, so here is my top ten.

10. More YA novels from a guy's POV. After reading Beautiful Creatures, I've wanted more stories from the eyes of the guy!

9. A New Adult novel that doesn't have sex as the main plot. New Adult is an exciting new genre, but I'm noticing that most of the stories revolve around sexual awakening? As a new adult myself, my problems are more along the lines of finding a job after university...

8. A book set in Hawaii. I just think that Hawaii is such a beautiful place, a place I would LOVE to visit, yet I never seem to read any books that are set there? Those beaches and big waves would make a gorgeous setting for a story.

7. A contemporary romance novel with something a little unique about it. I like a good romance story, but I'm getting tired of the same old cliches. I need more stories like Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles. There was so much more excitement to that story than a simple boy-meets-girl romance.

6. More books set in the Flapper Girl era. Reading the Flappers series by Jillian Larkin was one of the best decisions I made last year. It's one of my favourite times in history and I'd really love more books set during that time.

5. Another series like The Mediator by Meg Cabot. Okay, if you haven't read this series, you really need to. I just feel like this is a horribly underrated story. Suze Simon is still my favourite YA female character of all time. This series managed a perfect balance of romance, action and humor. It wasn't so dark and intense all the time like a lot of YA series' now. I just really love it, okay??

4. MORE BRITISH YOUNG ADULT NOVELS. Yeah, this is a thing I'm pretty passionate about. I feel like a lot of debut British authors who set their stories in British high schools are finding it pretty hard to get their stories noticed in other countries. I know Year 9 doesn't sound as exciting as a Sophomore year, but still...

3. Ever since reading Between Shades of Gray by Rute Sepetys back in 2011, I've wanted more stories like it. Stories about the lesser known parts of the World Wars. We read plenty about the holocaust and the evacuations, but there is so much more about those times that deserves a story.

2. Lead female characters WITH GLASSES! As a girl who has grown up wearing glasses, I certainly feel that there should be a leading female character with some frames. I know we've had Harry Potter, but he was a boy. I want a girl. Give me a good character to Cosplay as at conventions because I have a really hard time finding one!

1. A YA series that has an Ancient Egyptian theme. This is something that I really, really need in my life. We have so many stories about Greek Gods and myths, yet barely any on the Egyptians. Their history is fascinating! Come on, authors, I'm begging you here!

So there you have it, that's what I want to be reading. If there are any authors out there who happen to be reading this and have stories that tick any of the points above, PLEASE THROW YOUR BOOK AT ME. I will gladly read any book that is about any of those points.

What about you? What's on your reading wishlist? Let me know!

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Review: Faking Faith by Josie Bloss

Bookish Details:
Pages: 231
Publisher: Flux
Release Date: Novermber 8th 2011

Synopsis:
Dylan Mahoney is living one big unholy lie.

Thanks to a humiliating and painfully public sexting incident, Dylan has become the social pariah at her suburban Chicago high school. She's ignored by everyone--when she's not being taunted--and estranged from her two best friends. So when Dylan discovers the blogs of homeschooled fundamentalist Christian girls, she's immediately drawn into their fascinating world of hope chests, chaperoned courtships, and wifely submission.

Blogging as Faith, her devout and wholesome alter ego, Dylan befriends Abigail, the online group's queen bee. After staying with Abigail and her family for a few days, Dylan begins to grow closer to Abigail (and her intriguingly complicated older brother). Soon, Dylan is forced to choose: keep living a lie . . . or come clean and face the consequences.

My Review:

I was drawn to Faking Faith from the moment I read the blurb. I thought it was such a unique idea for a story. I picked it up not really knowing what to expect from it and what I got was a beautiful, eye opening story with a range of amazing characters. 

Dylan has made a few mistakes, one of them being her ex-boyfriend, Blake. When her relationship with Blake turns sour, naked pictures of Dylan find their way onto the internet for everyone to see. What follows is the chaotic aftermath that comes with a scandal such as hers. Dylan falls out with her friends, argues with her family and ends up the laughing stock of the school. 

Since her social life is in tatters, she starts spending all of her spare time at home. Whilst browsing the web, she starts reading the blogs of girls in highly religious families. Fascinated by their completely different lifestyle to her own, Dylan creates a fake blog under the name Faith. Writing as Faith, she creates a whole different life for herself online and gains the trust of hugely popular blogger, Abigail Dean. 

As their friendship grows through the exchanging of regular emails, Dylan decides to stay with Abigail and her family over the summer. Pretending to be Faith, Dylan heads to the farm of the Dean family, where she learns just how different their lives really are. 

I fell in love with this book, I really did. I’d never read anything like it before and it’s so difficult to find a story that is unique and different from the same old clichés. Dylan was a truly brilliant character. She was far from perfect and made many mistakes, but she learnt how to overcome and grow from them. She was a strong personality and I like the humour in her narration of the story. 

The other characters in this book were just as great. I loved the look we got into Abigail’s lifestyle. I was fascinated and shocked by what was expected of her because although she is a fictional character, there are a lot of girls who live just like Abigail. I also loved Abigail’s brother, Asher. His character development throughout the story shows the courage and strength he needed to break away from a life he no longer wanted. 

This is a thoroughly entertaining story that will keep you fascinated until the very end. It’s also heart-warming to read, with a focus on family, friendships and forgiveness. I’d highly recommend this to everyone, even if you don’t usually read contemporary stories, you won’t regret it!

Royal Rating:

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Vampire Academy UK Released Pushed Back!

Bad news for UK fans of Vampire Academy. The movie adaptation of Richelle Mead's book has been pushed back to April 23rd here in the UK.



I, for one, am really dissapointed. I was looking forward to a Febuary release! More to the point, as a blogger, I have to resist the temptation to read my fellow bloggers reviews of the film when it is released in the US from Febuary 14th, and from bloggers in the other countries with an earlier release. I just hope the film will be worth the wait in the end! Although, I have to admit, I'm not really suprised by the push back. I haven't seen much in the way of promotion from the distributers (eOne) here in the UK. I hope this will give them more time to properly market the film over here.

Are you a UK fan of the film and are dissapointed about the push back? Let me know!

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UK Poster for Vampire Academy: Blood Sisters

A UK poster for Vampire Academy: Blood Sisters has arrived!

Personally, I like it more than the US version; there's no bright green in this one! It's good to see a UK poster being released because I'm started to feel a little left out on the promotion of this film over here.

The film is released in the UK on April 23rd 2014. Will you be going to see the film? What scenes are you looking forward to seeing the most on the big screen? Let me know!

 

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City of Heavenly Fire Cover Released!

The cover for City of Heavenly Fire, the last book in The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare, was revealed yesterday. Take a look!

ERCHOMAI, SEBASTIAN HAD SAID.

I am coming.

Darkness returns to the Shadowhunter world. As their society falls apart around them, Clary, Jace, Simon and their friends must band together to fight the greatest evil the Nephilim have ever faced: Clary’s own brother. Nothing in the world can defeat him — must they journey to another world to find the chance? Lives will be lost, love sacrificed, and the whole world changed in the sixth and last installment of the Mortal Instruments series!

The cover shows our leading lady, Clary and her brother, our villain, Sebastian/Jonathan Morgenstern. I had an idea that it would be the two of them featuring on the final cover. I have to say, I'm not too keen on the look of it, but covers don't bother me, it's the content inside that counts! I think I preferred the cover for the final installment in Clare's Infernal Devices series more than this one. However, the model who portrays Clary on the covers for the past three TMI books is stunning!

What are your opinions on the cover and what are you looking forward to most in the book when it's released on May 27th? Let me know!

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Why I'm Excited For 2014

Happy New Year!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, filled with fun, food, and of course, books. So, now that it's 2014, there are new books to be read. With plenty of books being released this year, here are the three that I am eager to get my hands on!

3. The One by Kiera Cass
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: May 6th
The final book in The Selection series will finially tell us how America's story will end. As the competition comes to a close, what is in store for her and Maxon?

2. Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

Publisher: Dutton

Pages: 352

Release Date: May 15th

Oh, how I love Stephanie Perkins. After spending years simply reading supernatural and dystopian books, Stephanie re-introduced me to contemporary novels with her fabulous plots and quirky characters. I'm super excited to read this latest love story. 

 But what am I looking forward to the most? You probably already know.

1. City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry

Pages: 733

Release Date: May 27th 

Can I use this book as an excuse to take a month off? Because I'm pretty sure I'm going to need that long to recover from the emotional trauma caused by this book. Who is in danger? Who will lose their life in the battle against Sebastian? Will Magnus and Alec be reunited? These are important questions that I can't wait to find out the answers to. I'm excited and terrified for May 27th.

I have a feeling that May is going to burn a very big hole in my purse! What books are you eager to bury your nose in this year? Let me know!

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Book Blast: Interview with Sophia Sharp, Author of Forsaken

I'm delighted to be taking part in the book blast for Forsaken by Sophia Sharp today! The book is the first in The Forsaken Saga and was released on December 15th.

Nora Colburn was perfectly content in life. A junior in high school, she had good friends, a great family, and did well in school.  Nothing particularly exciting ever happened where she lived, and everything was stable.

But that all drastically changes when a new student arrives at Nora’s school. Wild rumors swirl about his past, and Nora becomes determined to find out the truth.

As she gets to know the mysterious student, he shares with her an ancient secret... one that may yet put both of them in grave danger.

And for the first time in her life, Nora is exposed to a completely unfamiliar world. She is swept away on an exhilarating journey that takes her to a place where romance and great destiny may yet await... and where supernatural powers run wild.

Sounds exciting, doesn't it? I had the chance to ask Sophia a few questions about her new novel!

Hi, Sophia! Can you tell us a little bit about your novel, Forsaken?

Forsaken is a story that takes place in a magical, supernatural girl.  It's a book for YA readers who like a large dose of action and a sprinkling of romance.  

What inspired you to write Forsaken?

I grew up reading fantasy/YA books, so writing in this genre is something that always appealed to me. The idea of Forsaken came to me in a dream... and once you've read the book, you'll know *exactly* what that means ;)

Did you relate to any of your characters at all whilst writing the book?

Funny enough, the character I related to most was Hunter, the male lead and our protagonist's love interest.  I grew up with two younger brothers, so sometimes it seems like it's easier for me to understand the male mind than my own!  Hunter's story is only just revealed in Forsaken, and will take a much more central role in the following books.

What was it that made you want to write for a YA audience?

Why young adult?  Because it's what I love to read.  And why paranormal/fantasy?  Because that genre gives me the greatest opportunity to create a quixotic, magical world that I can fall in love with.

I know that Forsaken is book one in a series. Have you started work on book two? 

Yes!  In fact, it's already ready!  I'm releasing it in early January.   There are going to be four books in total, and I'm already 90% done with the third.  So readers will NOT have to wait a long time to read the entire series :D

Thanks for your time, Sophia!

About Sophia:
I've been writing stories for as long as I can remember. Actually, that's a bit of a lie. I've been writing since the third grade, when a wonderful teacher asked everyone in class to write a fairy tale, and ended up picking mine as his favorite. He didn't tell the other kids, of course - but confided it in my parents. He said I have a natural knack for writing (his exact words! and I remember them to this day), and should never stop. So, I've kept going..

I've mostly been keeping it to myself, though. I've never really thought about becoming an "author," or a "writer" (quotations because those goals are still so far away!), so never had the need to share with anyone or publicize my stories. But, I'm just finishing up my second year in college, and have really started to think about careers and life goals and such other mysterious things. And while my friends were all busy trying to get internships for the summer this year, I just kept to myself with my writing hobby. I don't have an interest in going out and working professionally in the "real world" -- I want to keep writing forever, and I want to have time to do it. The only way I see myself having that time, though, is by becoming a published author.

So there you have it. That's the abbreviated history of one Sophia Sharp. I've been working on a few young adult paranormal/fantasy novels for the past few months, and I'm putting them all up as soon as they're done! Why young adult? Because it's what I love to read. And why paranormal/fantasy? Because that genre gives the greatest opportunities for creating a magical, romantic, quixotic world that I can fall in love with.

You can buy a copy of the book in the following places:
http://www.amazon.com/Forsaken-The-Saga-1-ebook/dp/B00HAZKECM
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Forsaken-The-Saga-1-ebook/dp/B00HAZKECM
http://www.amazon.ca/Forsaken-The-Saga-1-ebook/dp/B00HAZKECM
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/forsaken-sophia-sharp/1117692743

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Four Festive Reads

Christmas is the time of year to curl up in front of the fire and read a good book. Feeling festive, I always want to read a Christmas related story in December. Here are a few stories that I love to read during the holidays.


4. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis

You can't beat a classic. The snow, the constant winter and even an appearance by Father Christmas himself, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe is the perfect winter read.

3. Clara Claus by Alexandra Lanc

If you haven't read this one, you really need to. It's not often you come across a Christmas fantasy novel for Young Adults, but this one fits the bill. Set on the north pole, the story follows Clara Claus and Jack Frost.

2. Ex-mas by Kate Brian

I love this one, it's a really cute Christmas read. The story follows Lila and her ex-boyfriend Beau as they go in search of their younger brothers who have ran off in an attempt to save Santa. Quirky characters and a perfect story line, you need to give this one a read.

1. Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

I have to admit, this one is my favourite. I found the idea so unique and creative. If you have to pick just one to read before Christmas, pick this one.

“I’ve left some clues for you.
If you want them, turn the page.
If you don’t, put the book back on the shelf, please.”

So begins the latest whirlwind romance from the bestselling authors of Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist. Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on a favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. But is Dash that right guy? Or are Dash and Lily only destined to trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations across New York? Could their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions? Or will they be a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions?

Rachel Cohn and David Levithan have written a love story that will have readers perusing bookstore shelves, looking and longing for a love (and a red notebook) of their own.

I hope you all have a fabulous Christmas!

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Blog Tour: Freaks by Lisa M. Forester

So today is my stop on the Freaks tour! Freaks is the debut novel by Lisa M. Forester and I've been super excited about this book for a long time. I'm so excited to post my review of the book for the blog tour!

Bookish Details:
Pages: 228
Release Date: 28th November 2013
Source: eARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review

Synopsis:
Nobody's perfect... or are they?

Abigail always knew that she was different, but what she didn't know was just how different.

That was until her 16th birthday, when her parent's revealed a devastating secret that confirmed her worst fears and changed her life forever.

Abigail is an Allelobrid: one of five children born as a result of their parents illegal science experiment in genetic engineering. The aim: to create a perfect human.

Yet perfection comes at a price.

Forced into a life on the run, Abigail finds love, danger and an organisation that will stop at nothing to get what they want.

When lives are at risk and freedom is threatened - could being perfect be enough to survive?

My Review:
I love it when a book jumps out and throws action, adventure, drama and romance, oh and science at me all at once. And that’s certainly what Freaks did. Combined with a unique plot and a fantastic array of characters, Freaks is definitely a book to get excited about.

The story follows Abbie as she discovers a secret that her parents have kept from her throughout her whole life. She is and Allelobrid. A human created, in a science experiment, to be prefect.   

Now, I’m going to keep this review as spoiler free as possible, because I want all you to go and read this fabulous book. So, I’m going to tell you why I loved it and why you should, too.

First of all, Abbie is an amazing protagonist. I’m fussy with lead female characters because I like them a little feisty. I like them a little brave and able to stand up for themselves, and Abbie is all of that and more. She’s an extremely realistic character and she’s also entertaining in her narration of the story, which makes reading from her perspective all the more enjoyable.

The other Allelobrids are equally as great characters as she is. I don’t want to sit here and gush over how much I love Max, but you know I’m going to. I would like a 6 foot Australian Allelobrid of my own please. I loved him from the moment he sent his first cryptic message to Abbie. I loved how they bonded during the course of the story and found myself looking forward to the dialogue between them because it was so great.

The science side of the story is perfectly written. The way it’s explained sucks you into believing that this could actually happen, that Allelobrids could easily be out there. The plot is exciting from start to finish, with plenty of little twists to keep you from wanting to put the book down. 

The plot twist near to the end of the story was what drove me to give the book five stars, because I honestly didn’t expect it. When I think back now, I can see the hinting of it appear in the story but I was clueless until it was revealed. 

Then there’s the ending. Oh my God, why would you do this to me, Lisa? How can you end it like that? I’m going to be tearing my hair out until I get book two!

 

It’s hard to believe that this is a debut novel. The writing is fabulous and it’s definitely got me excited for more. If you like a story that has a bit of everything to offer, this is one for you to read. Just go read it, okay? And then come back here and get excited with me about it. 

Royal Rating:

 

About Lisa:

Lisa M Forester is the author of ‘Freaks’ – a Young Adult fiction novel that is due to be released on the 28th November 2013.

She has lived on a diet of books since she was six (when she was handed an Enid Blyton story for the very first time) and she constantly lives in hope that reading will become an Olympic sport. After being inspired to write by the plethora of amazing YA writers that exist across the globe, she put pen to paper and produced ‘Freaks’ – which I am sure she would very much love you to read.

Contact Lisa:
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7265813.Lisa_M_Forester
Twitter: @lisamforester
 

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