Michelle

If you like the Hunger Games, try Divergent by Veronica Roth

Watched Woman In Black today - went from slow, to creepy, to a bit silly. I did like the ending though. Bethany found it quite scary.

We certainly seem to share good taste in books.

I got a copy of Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children the other day. I've just finished the 1st 5 chapters, and I'm fascinated by it. Wherever the story takes me from here, it's so well written it's flowing off the page!

I've read some of these, and they start off aimed at a slightly younger age group. If you like the style, the best book in my opinion was the very last one The Immortals - Kell reviewed it after reading the whole series, but at the time I hadn't read any of them. It works well in both cases, I really enjoyed it.

This is one of those books where it looks as if it would be my kind of thing, but something is putting me off. In this sort of circumstance, I usually decide of all a sudden that I want to read it, and I end up loving it. One day..... Thank you Kat - you've just confirmed my fears for this one - I'll definitely be avoiding it.

Split Second by Cath Staincliffe

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa...

I was rather torn when I saw this book – the cover is rather stunning, but I wasn’t sure if I was ready for another vampire book – what else was there to say or do? Thankfully though, it turns out there was plenty to be added to this genre, and the key to this particular book is the character of Allie. The Immortal Rules is set in a future where most of the population have been wiped out, and the rest live in cities under the control of vampires. Some live in the Fringe, where they refuse to be registered, instead scavenging for food. Allie has lived here, in a small gang, ever since her mother died. One day, whilst leading her gang to a food supply, she is attacked and is about to die. A lone vampire offers her a choice – to die, or to be turned. Choosing the latter, she becomes what she has always hated, a vampire. Over time, Allie has to come to terms with her decision, learning more about the vampires, and just what it means to be one. It’s a difficult journey, and as a reader you take every step with her. Books become extra special to me when the characters do too, and Allie was written in such a way that I believed in her, and the decisions she made. The vampires themselves are pretty much traditional, with most being powerful, violent and controlling. There is a hint of a potential romance, but that’s the limit. It’s published as a YA book, but it will appeal to all ages. It’s the first book in a trilogy, which means there’s plenty more to come.. but there’s no frustrating cliff-hanger. In short, I loved this book, and would recommend it to nearly everyone! Just to add, this one is only 99p on kindle at the moment.

The licence for 20 people runs out on the 30th, so I'll need to see what the response is to this, to decide whether to pay to continue it.

This is something I originally posted on my blog, but I thought I'd share it here as well...

Ah yes, I was disappointed that no-one commented on that one.. I think I'll post it here.

You used to have a wordpress account Janet, as you've posted some reviews with it. Have you deleted it? What was it you wanted to comment on?

Thanks Tim - I'm used to King's strangeness, and it usually pays off, so I'm sure I will continue.

I feel like I'm talking to myself here, but never mind! Split Second is a rather emotional book - I'm about half way, and will be catching up with reviews very soon. Very undecided by The Gunslinger - it's all a bit strange, but I'd like to know what's going on, so will continue...

Just to say, if anyone's shopping there, could you click on a banner first.. Many thanks!

I've started The Gunslinger, and I really can't decide how I feel about it. I was always under the impression the series was far more fantasy than horror, but I've found some of it to be quite disturbing so far! Such as..

The Looking Glass Wars and The Immortal Rules were both interesting reads, and The Immortal Rules has gone on my list of faves of 2012! I'm now to move onto Split Second by Cath Staincliffe. I also started my audio version of The Gunslinger last night.

James is the author of Hollow Pike, one of my top reads this year. He's also very passionate about reading and writing, and he's shortlisted to be Queen of Teen! James was kind enough to answer a few of my questions... Q. Let’s start at the beginning.. what can you tell us about your book, Hollow Pike? A. It’s been described as ‘Mean Girls with witches’, which works for me. It’s about a girl called Lis who moves to a small town called Hollow Pike only to discover it has a dark history. She think the witchcraft rumours are nonsense, but when a girl is murdered, she starts to think she might be next… Q. How long have you been a writer for? A. I’ve written for years. I used to write stories for my Grandma and then later wrote music reviews and interviews for papers and magazines. Hollow Pike was my first attempt at a novel. Q. So what was your inspiration for Hollow Pike – where did the ideas come from, and how did they develop? A. I really wanted to write about school. I think anyone who went to school will recognise Hollow Pike. Moreover, I wanted to write about people like me and my friends – I wasn’t seeing characters like us in other YA books. The supernatural has always fascinated me too. The idea that in very ordinary villages, there are mysterious happenings! As the novel developed I looked to things like The Crucible and The Malleus Maleficarum for inspiration. Q. There are some great characters in your book – go on, be honest, are they based on anyone you know? A. Absolutely! All of the characters are versions of my friends or composites of people I know. That’s what writers do -beg, borrow and steal! Q. Considering the success of other books, were you not just a tiny bit tempted to add a vampire? ;-) A. Not in this one. I do hope the vampire genre can come back post Twilight though as one day I’d love to tell a vampire story. But not this one, no! Q. What comes next for you – will we hear any more from Hollow Pike, or are you moving on to other things? A. I’d love to go back to Hollow Pike and explore the town in more detail at some point, but the next book will be something completely different. It’s still for YA readers and is even twistier and turnier than Hollow Pike. Q. You’ve been shortlisted for ‘Queen of Teen’, tell us a little more about the award, and what it means. A. The Queen of Teen is great because it’s all voted for by young readers. It doesn’t take itself too seriously either. The winner gets an ACTUAL CROWN. Q. What would it mean personally to you if you won.. what would you do with the title? A. It would be fantastic because I really hope that Hollow Pike (and my next book) captures what it’s like to be young. Getting an award from young adult readers would be a seal of approval. If I won, I’d be able to visit schools as ‘the Queen of Teen’ instead of ‘another author’, which would be great because I could share my books and love of reading far and wide. Q. Do you enjoy attending events, chatting to readers on twitter etc, and how important do you think this is? A. I really do. Writing can be a solitary career so getting out and about is hugely important. For authors, Twitter is the watercooler. Q. Finally, what do you like to read yourself.. who are some of your favourite authors, and who’s on your bedside table right now? A. I am a YA reader AND writer. I love the pace and edge of YA books. I love Patrick Ness, Philip Pullman, Malorie Blackman and Maureen Johnson. At the moment, I’m reading Miss Peregrine’s Home of Peculiar Children by Ranson Riggs. James would be thrilled if you could vote for him at www.queenofteen.co.uk/vote

I've read most of King's books, but for some reason have avoided this series. Audible have just released the audio versions, which I think I will prefer, so I've bought the first one.

I think I'm gonna go with: The Final Empire: Mistborn - Brandon Sanderson Swan Song - Robert MacCammon Hollow Pike - James Dawson Starters - Lissa Price Dead Scared - S J Bolton The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making - Catherynne M Valente The Immortal Rules - Julie Jagawa

See post #38 After finishing The Looking Glass Wars, I decided to pick up another book I'd heard about on Twitter, The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa. I'm about half way through, and I love it so far! It's classed as YA, but this should appeal to many people. It's a dystopian tale, set in a world where the vampires are in charge, and humans are basically kept to work and be fed from. Allison is 'Unregistered' living in the outer city. One day she's almost killed, and she's turned by a vampire - she then has to battle with becoming what she detests. I'm already wondering when I'll be able to get my hands on book 2!