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Wednesday 29 April 2015

BANISHING THE DARK by Jenn Bennett


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Banishing the Dark by Jenn Bennett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I've put off reading this book for ages because I just wasn't ready to finish this series. But, I couldn't put it off any longer... And as soon as I started, I was hooked.

Cady was beaten at the end of the third book so badly that she almost died. She also found out something unexpected... something that she is determined to 'forget' just so her psychotic mother can't get to it.

Yeah, that's cryptic but I don't want to give anything away. ;)

Anyway, Cady's past catches up with her and she can't run any longer. It's time to face her past, and with Lon by her side, she's determined to put the past behind her and face the future.

I really enjoyed this book. It's as good as the rest of the series and reaches a very satisfying end. I'm going to miss Cady, Lon, and Jupe.

View all my reviews

Sunday 26 April 2015

BRIGHT BEFORE SUNRISE by Tiffany Schmidt

Bright Before Sunrise
Jonah and Brighton are about to have the most awkwardly awful night of their lives. For Jonah, every aspect of his new life reminds him of what he has had to give up. All he wants is to be left alone. Brighton is popular, pretty, and always there to help anyone . . . but has no idea of what she wants for herself. Her seemingly perfect life is marred only by Jonah, the one person who won't give her the time of day, but also makes her feel, well, something. So when they are repeatedly thrown together over the course of one night, anything can-and does-happen. Told in alternating chapters, this poignant, beautiful novel's energy and tension, amidst the humor and romance, builds to a new beginning of self-acceptance and hope.

 
I received this book from Bloomsbury Australia and knew absolutely nothing about it. So I read the blurb and decided it sounded interesting. Not to mention that the cover's lovely.
 
Jonah has been the new kid in school for a while now. He keeps to himself and refuses to socialise with anyone. No matter how hard the other kids try to include him, he always assumes the rich snobs of Cross Pointe look down on him because he's from Hamilton. So he lives his school week in a daze that includes ignoring a girl called Brighton--who is always trying to include him in school activities--tolerating his mother and her new husband, while spending time with his baby sister, and wishing the time away until he can go and hang out with his girlfriend Carly in Hamilton.
 
Brighton is the kind of girl that everyone likes. She goes out of her way to help others by taking part in just about every activity she can squeeze into her life. She's also a 'yes' person who puts others in front of her no matter how she's really feeling. And if she lets even a little of her own needs slip through, she feels bad about it. She wants everyone to like her but not because she's an attention seeker, it's because this is the only way she knows how to impress her father. Especially since the anniversary of his passing is fast approaching.
 
The afternoon she usually spends with her mother getting a manicure soon leads into a babysitting job that ends up in the house of the one person who's never got time for her. Brighton wants to include Jonah in activities, for both selfish and selfless reasons. And now that she's babysitting his sister, she might get a chance to really get to know him.
 
Except, when he gets home he's super cranky and takes everything out on her. But no matter how much he tries to push her away, she insists on getting closer and the two spend a bizarre night together that changes the way they look at each other, their towns, and life.
 
This story is told in the alternating POVs of both Jonah and Brighton, so we get a glimpse into not only what each one is thinking and feeling, but also how much they hide from each other and the world. Jonah is a very hard character to like. He's whiny, frustrating, annoying, and self-involved. No matter what he thinks of himself he just isn't a nice guy. I would go as far as calling him mean, because some of the situations he puts Brighton in are just awful. Brighton was a lot easier to relate to. She's a nice girl who wishes for independence but is afraid to step out of her safety zone in case others won't like her.
 
You know, I started out liking Jonah. I could understand why he was angry. I mean his family had fallen apart and he was forced to move away from the place he'd spent all his life. But the more I read about him, the less I liked him. And while I really liked Brighton, the more she was drawn to Jonah, the less I could relate to her. Until I felt like the story was slipping away from me...
 
Bright Before Sunrise is a well-written story that takes us deep into the lives of two characters with very different personalities. While I enjoyed the first half of this book, the rest just didn't resonate with me. I liked their individual journeys, but not the way they merge together.
 
As frustrating as I found this story, I think it's also a true representation of the teenage life. 
 
Bright Before Sunrise, May 2015, ISBN  9780802735027, Bloomsbury USA Childrens

Thursday 23 April 2015

UNDEAD by Kirsty McKay


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My rating: 5 of 5 stars

OMG. This book was SO MUCH fun!

It had everything I like in a zombie story: thrills, chills, zombie madness, survivors that care about each other, plenty of laughs, asshole humans, lotsa action, heartbreaking situations, and kick-ass characters. There's also a castle! I mean, come on, that's the perfect place to hide, right? Or, maybe not. O.o

The characters were all different kinds of kids. The types that could have become boring clichés, but they were all awesome in their own way. Yes, even Malice. :P

Plus, as an added bonus, you even get to find out how this started. Oh, and there's an awesome twist at the end that involves the main character--Bobby--that I didn't see coming.

Loved it. I can't wait to read the next one!

View all my reviews

Wednesday 22 April 2015

MIND GAMES Teri Terry


Your life depends on playing their game.
 
Fans of the award-winning SLATED trilogy won't want to miss this gripping new psychological thriller from Teri Terry!

In a future world, life is tightly controlled by the all-powerful PareCo. Standing out from the crowd is dangerous so misfit Luna hides her secrets carefully, not realising her own power. Unlike her friends and family, Luna has never been able to plug into Realtime, PareCo's virtual world, where almost everyone now lives their lives. So how do PareCo know about Luna, and why do they want her for their elite think tank?

The truth is hidden in a web of shining silver secrets, and the corrupt authorities would do anything to keep it that way. Can Luna find a way to use her own hidden powers and bring the truth to light before it's too late?
 
 
I picked this up the other night and was instantly hooked.
 
Luna Iverson lives in a world where most people are always plugged into the virtual world, via their Implant. Even school lessons are like that, kids plugging into the PareCo's Virtual Education. But Luna is a Refuser, which means that she refuses to get an Implant. So she's in a small class of kids that refuse technology for several reasons--some are religious, others are medical, or even serving a punishment for misbehaving in VE--but she's just there because she doesn't want an Implant.
 
Actually, it's safer if she doesn't get one. Her Nanna has told her this her whole life, because if she doesn't refuse others will find out her secret and probably exploit it. Luna can still sign into the virtual world via a PIP--Plug in Point--sofa, but gets so sick that she can only log in for a little while.
 
She lives with her father, grandmother, stepmother and stepbrother. Her grandmother is sick, and her father is always plugged in working, so she spends most of her time with her stepmother, Sally, and brother, Jason. Sally isn't an awful person, but she's always bugging Luna and just doesn't understand her refusal to be like everyone else. Even her younger brother has an Implant. And, being a Refuser has affected her socially. Most kids stay away from her, gossip about her, and just don't want to be anywhere near her. In fact, she only has two real friends: a Hacker (people who can manipulate the virtual world with black tattooed marks on their left eyes) called Hex, and a fellow Refuser called Rachel.
 
However, when Luna somehow gets a place in the upcoming PareCo tests, she's swept away to a facility for a week. Here she meets a mysterious boy called Gecko, who happens to a S'hacker (undetectable hackers with silver marks on their left eyes) and introduces her to ANDs (anti-nausea drugs). She also manages to score well enough to get a placement in the coveted Think Tank. An opportunity most dream about, but she doesn't want. She tries to transfer to university instead, and almost does.
 
When something tragic happens in her family, she has no other choice than to be transported to Inaccessible Island.
 
But on the way there, an accident occurs and Luna is suddenly thrown off balance in more ways than one. Suddenly, she's meeting new people who talk about conspiracies and danger. She's finding out a lot about the seemingly safe virtual world that PareCo has managed to establish. And also that she might be able to help change everything. Or might just end up destroying everything and everyone she cares about.
 
Wow. This is one intoxicating storyline. As soon as I entered this futuristic world I didn't want to get out of it. Luna is a compelling character who is determined to keep herself in the real world more than in some virtual place. She's strong, stubborn, cheeky, and very likeable, but at the end of the day she's still a kid and isn't immune to being manipulated by greedy, conniving adults.
 
Mind Games turned out to be an intriguing thriller filled with shocking revelations. It's an amazing book that I enjoyed immensely. I loved how this world is completely foreign but so well created through words that I could see everything playing out inside my mind vividly. A book this intricate--with so many different silver threads that connect and lead to one devastating conclusion--needs a strong and capable character to convey the events... and Luna is the perfect heroine!
 
I loved this book SO much! As well as the very pretty cover! I also found it super creepy. I mean some of the things that she finds out are chilling. *shudders* And yet, with our dependency on computers and phones, who knows where it might lead us? I just hope it's not to think tanks. :/

Mind Games, March 2015, ISBN  9781408334256, Orchard Books

Monday 20 April 2015

HORROR GRAB BLOCK


I mentioned we would be getting one of these a few weeks ago.
You remember, right? Well, it arrived.
 
Before I post the pics, I'll just tell you what this is. As you all know we get HORROR BLOCK every month, and it's a subscription box full of horror goodness. Well, every now and then they have excess stock and decide to do these Grab Blocks. They're a one-off and you just don't know what you're going to get.
 
Which makes it very exciting.
 
So, here's the box:
 
 
This is what it looked like when we opened it:
 
 
As soon as I saw the inside, I recognised quite a few of the items. I also realised that I didn't get the tee I was hoping for. Still, this Alien one is nice and has been passed on to hubby. :)
 
Take a closer look at the goodies:
 
 
Lotsa cool stuff in there.
 
It's just a shame that I missed out on Jason, Michael and Freddy stuff. :( Oh well. I'm sure there will be other stuff featuring them in the future! Besides, I've now got another Gizmo to add to my collection. And my daughter gets her own Pink Posey.
 
I can't wait to get the next HORROR BLOCK.
 
Only problem is that last month's was TOO good to beat.
 
Have a horror day!
 
 

ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD by Kendare Blake


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My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a book I've been wanting to read since it was released, but because at the time I was writing my own ghost hunter story, I put it aside. Now that my spook catcher series is finished, I decided to read this.

Theseus Cassio Lowood, Cas for short, kills the violent dead. It's what his father did before he was killed, and he's carrying on the legacy. He also carries his Dad's wicked athame and travels the country with his white witch Mum and her spirit-detecting cat.

Together, they follow urban legends and the resulting body counts.

However, when they cross into Canada and stay in a place called Thunder Bay, everything changes. Cas is here to find Anna Dressed in Blood. The ghost of a girl who kills anyone who dares step inside her house.

When Cas befriends a popular girl in his new school--called Carmel--it pisses off her ex, and before Cas realises what's happening he finds himself inside Anna's house.

She spares his life and Cas becomes fascinated with her. Almost to the point of bring obsessed. But soon, he's got bigger things to worry about because a malicious ghost from the past has followed them. Now he's going to need the help of his new freaky semi-psychic friend, Thomas. As well as Thomas's grandfather. Even Cas's mother has a role to play. Though the one he really needs might just be Anna...

I loved this story! I really liked Cas and even Anna. Not to mention the secondary characters. Also, loved the spooky setting and how everything is slowly revealed. This is the kind of ghost story I love reading.

Can't wait to read the next book!

Saturday 18 April 2015

Print Release: Torn From the Shadows


The fourth book in my Sierra Fox urban fantasy series is now available in print!
 
The paperback cover looks absolutely beautiful. Actually, the whole book looks lovely. I'm so proud of it. :) 
 
All it takes is one goddess-affiliated demon to seal the deal.
 
  Sierra Fox, Book 4
 
Sierra Fox knows better than to believe the demon-obsessed freakshow has given up on her. She’s settled into a nice routine of living with her sister, enjoying her relationship with a sexy werewolf, and staying on top of work—and always waiting for the other shoe to drop.
 
Predictably, things start falling apart as she’s suddenly swamped with surprise visits and unwanted advances, and someone she despises wants her help.
 
When a spook-catching training session goes horribly wrong, she encounters a man who’s not quite as dead as she’d hoped. Mace is now more than human and still determined to get his hands on her. But not if Sierra accepts the strengthening gifts her grandmother bestowed at her birth.
 
Having the good guys put a price on her head is enough to ruin anyone’s day, but Sierra refuses to give up or give in. Even if it means exercising the last option on earth she wants. But claiming the ultimate power may not be enough to save the man she loves before his werewolf past destroys him.
 
 
Warning: Phantasms, pookas, werewolves, and demons, oh yes! And a spook-catching heroine who must choose to take what’s rightfully hers—even if it means walking the shadows with a demon.
 
 
 
 
 
   BTW, this book got a 4-star rating from RT Magazine!
 

Friday 17 April 2015

THE 100: HOMECOMING by Kass Morgan


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My rating: 5 of 5 stars

So, I was going to read something else after the second book... but after the way it ended, I just couldn't. I had to find out what was going to happen next.

Just when the 100 have gotten into some sort of routine, a bunch of dropships fall from the sky. Of course the kids don't just sit back, they head out and try to help as many survivors as they can. With Clarke pushed to her limits, she manages to help a bunch of people. Except, not everyone is grateful. Now that the Vice Chancellor is on Earth with his guards, he's decided to take over. He ignores everything the kids tell him and is determined to rule with an iron fist.

Like the other two books, we get a glimpse into the familiar four POVs, which is really handy because they're sometimes in different places. Clarke is still the Colonists' only real doctor and saves a lot of people. She also reunites with her mentor. But when Bellamy gets hurt by the guards, she decides that they have to get away. Clarke is head over heels with Sasha, so he joins Clarke and Bellamy in seeking shelter with the Earthborns. Glass and Luke have arrived on Earth, but the Vice Chancellor has plans for Luke and they also take off.

There are much less flashbacks in this book, but they're still awesome. Seriously, this series has some of the best written flashbacks I've ever read. Love how they fit in so well with what was going on in the present.

The connection between these characters is intriguing, and I love how the longer they're on Earth and the more problems they face, the stronger their bonds become.

I loved this book as much as the other two. It's filled with action, danger, and a power-hungry moron I wanted to punch. There's also sadness, and hope. A reunion that I was hoping would happen, and the undertones of romance that bloomed between the characters. While others have such a strong love that nothing tears them apart.

Although I'm not sure if this is the last book, it did feel final to me. So, if it's a trilogy... I loved it!

As soon as my daughter reads this book, we're going to start watching the show. :)

 

More Revision, Reading & Star Wars


Yes, stay calm because the weekend is just around the corner. ;)
 
Another week is slipping away, but I have to admit that I've done a lot. Yeah, it was supposed to be some sort of week off, but instead turned into the week where I did a whole bunch of stuff!
 
The first thing I did on Monday morning was get stuck into Willow's Pre-Third Draft List. There were about eight things I wanted to fix before calling this draft done, and I got them done. Yay. The only problem was that I didn't feel entirely happy with the epilogue. But I decided to just put it aside.
 
Total word count went up to: 75,916.
 
That day I also finished reading Ivy Pocket and wrote + posted the review. Not to mention that I got a bunch of washing done before hubby and I took Loki to the vet. Nothing serious, he just needed his annual check-up and vaccination.
 
I was pretty tired by the end of the day.
 
When Tuesday rocked around I was planning to get another load of washing out of the way, and spend the rest of the time reading. Yeah, well, things didn't work out like that. You see, I started sorting through my YA bookshelf... and before I knew it the bed was FULL OF BOOKS and I found myself re-organising everything. It actually ended up taking most of the day to sort through. It was super tiring, but like my daughter said: It looks pretty.
 
I just have to get used to where everything is.
 
Wednesday was reading day! I was already halfway into the second 100 book and just couldn't put it down. My gosh, this is such an awesome series. Or is it a trilogy? I haven't heard anything for sure, but a few people on Goodreads mentioned it's a trilogy. Anyway, I'm loving it.
 
My daughter is reading each book after me, so when we're both finished it'll be time to start watching the show. I realise that it's probably really different and all that, but I always like to read the book before watching the movie/show.
 
That afternoon we also got back into yoga. After a brief hiatus, it's time to get back into workouts. I just hadn't had enough energy to tackle them until now. The yoga workout was great. I needed the stretching, that's for sure.
 
By Thursday morning, I'd decided that I couldn't ignore the epilogue problem any longer. And since my daughter went to work with hubby, and a great new angle/approach came to me while I was falling asleep the night before, I decided to open up the Word doc again and got stuck into it.
 
Well, I ended up deleting the epilogue and writing it again from scratch. And it's SO MUCH BETTER. I love how the story ends now. Very happy. It was a bit of extra work, but definitely worth it. Now, I can put it away for a week or so.
 
Total word count went up to: 77,447. (I think it'll inch up a little more during the next draft.)
 
So, here we are. It's Friday. The last day of the week. And what have I been doing? Well, I've been updating my website. There were a lot of links and stuff that needed updating, and I also wanted to post something. So, here I am.
 
But before I did any of that, I watched this:
 

 
OMG. Did you guys see this yet? It's seriously awesome stuff. I mean, I was one of those people who just wasn't excited about the new Star Wars movies. Not after what the prequels did to the story. But I've been a fan of the original trilogy since I was a kid, so to see THIS. Wow! I believe I'm now very excited about this movie!

Well, that's it for now. I've got some reading to do.

Hope you all have an awesome weekend!
 

Thursday 16 April 2015

THE 100: DAY 21 by Kass Morgan


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My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was really looking forward to reading this book, and it didn't disappoint. I picked it up yesterday morning and finished it this morning.

The 100--well, there are less now--have been on Earth for 21 days and a lot has happened. They've mourned the ones they've lost, have learned to build, and are trying to survive. But there seem to be other people around. Earthborn people who attacked them and obviously want them out.

Well, that's what they think until they capture a girl called Sasha. She's one of the Earthborn, and as time goes by morphs from prisoner to teacher. She knows this planet better than they do, and can even answer questions relating to their people.

The story is once again written in the shared POV of four characters. Clarke goes through a lot of personal discovery in this one. Bellamy struggles with not knowing where his sister is, and learning to care for someone else. Glass is still on the ship with Luke, but continues to go through heartache. Wells is a natural-born leader who finds a way to get over his obsession with Clarke. But every single character goes through ups and downs as they struggle to trust and understand their individual situations.

OMG. There are so many revelations in this one. I loved the intricate connections that are revealing themselves. The main characters are connected on a much deeper level than first expected. And the flashbacks are still some of the best I've read.

I'm seriously loving this series and can't wait to read the next book! Which is sitting on the desk...

Monday 13 April 2015

ANYONE BUT IVY POCKET by Caleb Krisp

Ivy Pocket is a twelve-year-old maid of no importance, with a very lofty opinion of herself. Dumped in Paris by the Countess Carbunkle, who would rather run away to South America than continue in Ivy's companionship, our young heroine (of sorts) finds herself with no money and no home to go to ... until she is summoned to the bedside of the dying Duchess of Trinity.
 
For the princely sum of £500 (enough to buy a carriage, and possibly a monkey), Ivy agrees to courier the Duchess's most precious possession – the Clock Diamond – to England, and to put it around the neck of the revolting Matilda Butterfield on her twelfth birthday. It's not long before Ivy finds herself at the heart of a conspiracy involving mischief, mayhem and murder.
 
Illustrated in humorous gothic detail by John Kelly, Anyone But Ivy Pocket is just the beginning of one girl's deadly comic journey to discover who she really is ...
 
 
I received this gem from Bloomsbury Australia a few weeks ago, and finally picked it up on Friday night to get a feel for the story. Before I realised it, I'd already read 70 pages. It totally hooked me in!
 
Ivy Pocket is twelve, and she's a lady's maid. According to her she's very capable, has many talents, can conjure up a remedy for just about anything, and has been bestowed with a series of spectacular gifts. But others have a different opinion. So much so that Countess Carbunkle dumps her in Paris with only a note and not much else. So Ivy finds herself alone, without any money, and in need of a place to stay.
 
That's when she decides to get a job in the hotel. She's denied employment, but a bellboy seeks her out.
 
It turns out that the Duchess of Trinity is dying and wants to speak to Ivy. She has a very special job for her. One that entails the safe delivery of a precious necklace called the Clock Diamond. The Duchess gives her very precise instructions about getting the necklace to England, as well as when to give it to the recipient.
 
This is a very important gift with a very special message. If Ivy does this, she will receive £500 and will be able to start fresh and live her own life. So of course she accepts.
 
As soon as she sets sail from Paris to London, strange things start to happen. At least she manages to make a friend. Miss Always is a peculiar writer and spinster who seems to be just about everywhere Ivy turns--something she finds endearing.
 
However, when Ivy breaks one of the rules and tries on the necklace, strange things start to happen. All of a sudden she can see things inside the diamond, such as events from her past. She starts having a desperate need to be around the necklace, plus feels very protective of it, and finds the perfect hiding spot as soon as she reaches Butterfield Park.
 
Unfortunately, she also manages to capture the attention of ghosts and cloaked dwarves. Not to mention the suspicious governess. Ivy soon realises that she's caught up in something even her awesome wits might not be able to handle...
 
I didn't know anything about this book when I picked it up, and when I started reading and met Ivy, I have to admit that I was a little sceptical. I mean, she was so delusional and quite frankly sounded like the infuriating person everyone in the book seems to think she was. She insults just about anyone and can't keep her opinions to herself. But something soon started to happen. I found myself getting lost in the story, and was totally captivated by the narration.
 
Ivy Pocket might not appear to be the most reliable character, but if you ignore her constant bragging and see beyond the words, you really get to know her.
 
She tries to make herself out to be larger than life and capable of just about any challenge, but she's a lot more than that. She's a young girl who was left in an orphanage at a young age and has since tried to find somewhere to belong. She's longed for real parents so much that she makes up a different marvellous story about them each time. Ivy's really a lost child who dreams of having loving parents.
 
Another thing that I loved about this book was the female presence. Although it's set in a time when women might have struggled to be properly heard, this story is filled with amazing woman and girls. Some stronger than others and with differing levels of annoyance and cunning, but they all add a little spice to Ivy's tale.
 
Anyone But Ivy Pocket turned out to be a charming and very quirky surprise. Not only is the narrator awesome, but so are the other zany characters. I got swept up in the glorious story about a seemingly average girl who turns out to be quite amazing. Ivy Pocket can be infuriating, is filled with self-importance and delusions, but she sure is smart. She's a strong and very resourceful heroine. She also takes readers on one hell of a fun, hilarious, and dangerous ride into a wondrous world filled with clocks, murderous villains, secrets and ghosts.
 
I loved this, and had such a great time reading it! I can't wait to read more about Ivy Pocket.
 
BTW, check out how nice the ARC is:
 
 
Isn't it lovely? The only thing I missed about this lovely ARC are the illustrations because they weren't finalised when it was made.
 
Anyone But Ivy Pocket, May 2015, ISBN 9781408858639, Bloomsbury Childrens

Saturday 11 April 2015

Back to Revision


Hey! How's everyone doing?
As you can tell from the title, I spent this week working on Willow's second draft. The cute gal to our left is Willow Moss. Well, a cutesy version of her, which I made on this doll maker site. She's supposed to have blue eyes, but brown is all that was available. Oh well. Still works for me. LOL.
 
So, yesterday I managed to reach the end of the doc, and by then I'd added almost 9,000 new words. This story is shorter than Lavie's and didn't need the same level of rewriting that hers did when I reached this stage, so that's why four days was enough to get it done. :)
 
The total word count is now 73,080, but I expect that to go up a little more after I'm done with the third draft. Especially since I've already got a two-page list of tweaks to tackle.
 
That always happens when I'm done with a draft. As soon as I reach The End, a whole bunch of additions/tweaks fall into my head. So that's what I'll be doing early next week. I want to take care of this list before putting the story aside for another 1-2 weeks. Then I'll tackle the third draft. So the story still has a while to go until I call it complete, but I'm happy with the pacing.
 
I might have fallen behind a bit from my original 2015 Goals List time frame, but I'm not going to stress about it. I'm still pretty much on track.
 
This was also my daughter's first week of school holidays, so what I did was spent the early mornings working on the second draft and then the afternoons with her. We watched a few movies and sat on the couch to read. Although to be honest, I couldn't get into anything I picked up. It's not so much that I've hit a reading slump, it's that when I'm working on something my brain is just so filled with that story, world and characters that I can't step into anyone else's.
 
Might sound strange, but I find it's part of my process.
 
Anyway. That was my week. It was full of revision thoughts and not much else. Next week I plan to get the Willow second draft tweaks done and then I can concentrate on some blog posts I need to write for next month. As well as some reading.
 
Have a great weekend!

Thursday 2 April 2015

Hey, how you doing?


As you can tell from my picture, my Reading Break somehow extended into this week. :)
 
Hubby had a 4-day weekend, and is having another one this week because of the Easter break, so it wasn't worth starting anything new/getting stuck into any projects for three days.
 
So, instead I read. And organised some stuff.

The organising and reshuffling seems to be a never-ending thing.
 
We also got flu shots. We got them last year and they really helped us get through the winter months without catching the flu/cold. It's an amazing thing, because several times we'd each get cold symptoms that didn't develop into anything. Which is super cool.
 
Did you take part in Earth Hour? We did. We've been doing this for years now. Hubby and I grab a DS each and get stuck into some serious Mario Karting. It' a lot of fun, and has become a tradition. Mario Kart by Candlelight. ;) 
 
Oh, and after almost a year of putting it off, hubby dyed my hair a nice shade of red--very similar to the pic. The reason involves a boring and long tale of having to switch to a new kind of dye because they no longer make the one I was using before, but at least I stayed with the same brand. And, I love the colour. Looks nice and shiny. Plus, I trimmed my hair today. It was getting a bit too 80s puffy for my liking. LOL.
 
When I'm not reading, I'm dealing with a head full of stuff.
 
I've been thinking a lot about Willow's story, and even collected several 80s horror movie quotes I'd like to incorporate into the story. I've also been pondering starting a few different journals for different things. Especially since I've been collecting a LOT of inspirational pics that are sparking new ideas...
 
Today also happened to be my daughter's last day of Term 1. She'll be home for two weeks, so I'm not sure how that will impact my productivity. Either way, I think I need to reshuffle a few projects and goal dates until July. I still want to achieve the same things, but maybe move them around. There are projects I really want to finalise by the end of this year, while also spending the second half working on and developing new ideas. I think it's time to spend some time in new, exciting worlds.
 
But for now, I'm going to enjoy the weekend.
 
Have a great one!

THE 100 by Kass Morgan


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My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I've been hearing a lot of good things about the 100 TV show. But before checking it out, I was curious about the books. So I reserved them at the library, and borrowed the first one the other day.

As soon as I got started, I was intrigued. Sure, the first few chapters are a little disorienting because the story focuses on 4 POVs and deals with backstory... but it didn't take long to get into the groove of each character.

Centuries after the Earth was ravaged by a nuclear war, what's left of humanity has been living in interconnected spaceships above the planet. But 100 teenage 'criminals' are about to be dropped onto Earth to find out if it's safe for everyone to return.

After all, who cares about these kids, right? They're all law breakers who were probably going to be executed anyway. Except, as the story unravels, something much more sinister is slowly revealed. It seems that the laws and lawmakers aren't always looking out for humanity after all. :/

I really enjoyed each character's personal journey. Clarke's parents were killed and she was charged with treason because her boyfriend betrayed her trust. Wells wants to be with the girl he loves and does some incredibly stupid and selfish things along the way. Glass escapes and seeks the boy she hurt while trying to protect him. All Bellamy wants to do is look after his sister, and that's why he jumps on-board.

Each of these characters has secrets and are haunted by their separate pasts. But now they have to learn how to survive in a new world that's a lot more dangerous than they imagined.

I enjoyed this book a lot! I also think that it contains some of the best flashback scenes I've read in a while. Every past scene added to the present and draws the reader closer into the lives of these kids.

This was an awesome book and I can't wait to read the next one.

View all my reviews

Wednesday 1 April 2015

LOVE BOMB by Jenny McLachlan

Love Bomb
Betty Plum has never been in love. She's never even kissed a boy. But when H.O.T. Toby starts school it's like Betty has been hit with a thousand of Cupid's arrows. It's like a bomb has exploded – a love bomb!
 
More than ever Betty wishes her mum hadn't died when Betty was a baby. She really needs her mum here to ask her advice. And that's when she finds hidden letters for just these moments. Letters about what your first kiss should feel like and what real love is all about…
 
Is Betty ready to fall in love? Will she finally have her first kiss?


Last year I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of a mega cute book called Flirty Dancing. Both my daughter and I absolutely loved it, so we were mega excited when we received the ARC for the second book in the Ladybirds series. And just like the first book, I read it in a day!

Betty Plum has just turned fifteen. She might be running late like usual, but she's still having a great day with her friends. When she meets the new kid in school, she sets her sights on this hottie. Toby is tall, cool, the right kind of boy she wants. So she makes it her mission to get his attention, which she has no trouble doing. Before she realises what's happening, she's caught up in a Toby whirlwind that has her fronting his band, hanging out with him outside of school, and doing all types of non-Betty things just to be around him.

This is one of those times when she wishes she still had her mother around. Sure, Betty and her father have a great, quirky life together and do all sorts of awesome, unusual things but she could use some advice about boys and falling in love. And that's where her mother's letters come in. Since her mother died when Betty was very small, her father's passed on a birthday letter every year. This one happens to be the last one, so she puts it off for a while. But when she eventually decides to open it, this final letter leads to a cache of secret letters.

As Toby pays more attention to her, she starts losing touch with her best friend Bill. A boy she's known all of her life and is still there when she really needs him. But she's also letting down her friends Kat and Bea. And she's starting to not get along with her father because for the first time in her life, he might have met someone that threatens their cool family routine. Not to mention the worst thing of all--that she's starting to stifle a bit of her awesome self. So Toby doesn't think she's stupid, she starts taming down some of her more odd tastes.

This story is just as good as the first one. It's fun and quirky, featuring a headstrong heroine who is hilarious but slowly starts to lose herself because she's convinced she's in love with a 'cool' boy. It's also an emotional ride about one young girl trying to use her dead mother's letters as a way of guiding her through romance and love. And what happens is her experiences, though different, end up being parallel to her mother's letters.

Love Bomb is another super cute, fun story about a very unique girl who loses sight of what's important on her quest to finding love. It's a coming-of-age story about a teenager who doesn't want her family life to change. A story about understanding that love is sometimes right in front of you. And just like Flirty Dancing, it'll hook you in from the beginning. This time, instead of cheering along, you'll probably want to hug Betty. Behind this hilarious, nice girl hides a sadness that leaps off the pages and touches your heart.
 
I loved this book, and I'm really enjoying this series. Thanks Bloomsbury Australia!
  

Love Bomb, April 2015, ISBN 9781408856093, Bloomsbury Childrens
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