Judging a Book by its Cover

Hark! I have returned!

And I bring with me many books of both lovely and painful reading!

So what have I been doing?

Well, I cleaned out my trophy cabinet (It was a big cabinet) and filled it with my favourite books! I couldn't fir them all in, obviously and there are plans, even to convert the spare room into a library all on its own.

But the point is - with all these new spaces there are new books I have been reading, sooo.....

Here's a sneak peak.

Blood Red Road

Seriously, how could I resist that cover? Cudos to the artist.

Okay, so the blurb tells me straight away that this is a text style that is poetically minimal, much like the Chaos Walking trilogy by Patrick Ness, with the first quote -

"I ain't afeared of nuthin."

Okay, I love Patrick Ness so I figured Moira Young had a good thing going for her here.

And then...

Well, after i read the book i was a little miffed at the description in the blurb, cause, well, it lies. LIES I tell you!!!

Because : "Saba can trust no-one, even the boy who saves her life."

Sorry, but first of all (minimal spoiler alert) someone joins her. Then she is taken to a town, where she is joined by many more people (including the "boy who saves her life"). Which, even if she doesnt trust them, she sure seems like she does and she lets them join her, so... Really? She trusts heaps of people. Which I found annoying.

Stupid synopsis.

But anyway, if you ignore that it really is a great book about a sister's love for her brother and a race aginst time to save him.

"Blood will spill" is a little over the top since only a few people die somewhere in the middle - kinda in defence, and there's no ally deaths which kinda peeves me.

Annoying, but pretty good effort from new teen writer Moira Young.

And I'm not easily impressed, so this may be the book for you.

2 / 5 stars.

Burn Bright

Beautiful cover design, just beautiful. Did I mention this post is all about books with great cover designs? No? Sorry bout that...

Well, it is.

And I absolutely love this cover to bits. It tells you so much about the main character. I love the two sections for her two different personalities - and I love the names.

Retra, Brand, Lenoir, Naif.

Its all about two conflicting lands and (another) quest to save a brother.

"Retra will find that Ixion has its pleasures - but its secrets are deadly."

Chilling.

It gets a bit slow paced in the middle, but it has a great ending that leaves you clamboring for the next The Night Creatures book.

Angel Arias - out, and I plan to find it.

Oops, seems I've run out of time.

Any requests please just ask!

Keep reading,

Red.

Missing Books and Scheduled Woes

Well. Haven't I been lazy, then. Looking over my old posts, looking in awe at my fantastical wit- Reading non-stop. Going back over the Obernewtyn Series and understanding the plot this time, actually. So with all this aside, I somehow found time for my wonderful readers. Or reader, I'm not quite sure. Either way, here we go: Missing Books I seem to have forgotten to put some books in my yearly schedule, and some have already come out (one), so here is the Series Progression sheet: April - City of Fallen Angels [Mortal Instruments Series] May - Dead Reckoning [Sookie Stackhouse Series] June - Everlasting [The immortals Series] September - Skulduggery Pleasant Book 6 [Skulduggery Pleasant] Semtember - Silence [Hush Hush] Don't know about any more at the moment but please send me updates if you know of any Scheduled Woes Well there are many grave disappointments this year. No more Vampire Academy No more Chaos Walking Not even a new Obernewtyn Chronicles [which I'm getting mighty tired of her pushing the date back, since about 2004 even] And no word on when that And, of course, many, many more. But we shall forgive these small missteps on account of the few respites we have. Skulduggery Pleasant is still going, at least. I'm sorry I could not attend to the website earlier, but I will try harder to make quiker updates. Keep reading (though material is precious little0 JB

As Promised

Now, I've been looking back over my posts and I realised that I hadn't yet delivered my review on Hush Hush. So here it is, along with a few others.

Hush Hush

Hush Hush is Bella Fitzpatrick's first novel of the series, and it brings great promise. Its your classic fallen angel story, with the classic archangels, guardian angels and Nephilim. But, that aside, its also a very unique storyline that broadens to cover more than any other fiction book has so far. Besides these already broadly covered topics it also delves into more detail than other books of this genre. If you've read Fallen by Lauren Kate or Halo by Alexandra Adornetto, you'll already know most of this information, but if you haven't you're in for a deeper, more thorough glance into Angel politics. Old myths are explained and little bits of every angel story are included.

But what about the storyline?

Well, its better. Unlike a lot of books, it is hard to predict, and just as you think you get the gist of it, POW!

Call it a thriller, blockbuster, a silly little horror skit, whatever you want. Cause in the end, this is not your average Fallen Angel tale.

3 stars

Monsters of Men

First of all I'd like to start of with saying, PLEASE MAKE ANOTHER BOOK PATRICK NESS I'M BEGGING YOU!!!

Ahem.

Okay, with that covered, lets move on to what this book's about.

Monsters of Men is the third and final book in the Chaos walking trilogy. Ergo, my comment above. The hard-cover front page is AMAZING, and, consequently, gives you no idea to what will happen in the book, as is Ness's speciality. The book starts off slow, but quickly escalates into something that is so unpredictable you'll find yourself looking up from the book at set points saying, "Good God, that man's a genius."

A book that will make you laugh in hysterics and then cry uncontrollably with rage and misery on the same page; its another runaway success from Patrick Ness.

[that almost rhymed]

Oh, but then, of course, he had to go ruin it with the WORST (and possibly also the best) ending ever. Its a cliff-hanger. A cliff-hanger! WHO MAKES THE LAST BOOK OF THE SERIES A CLIFF-HANGER?

Patrick Ness, apparently, who has you screaming in frustration, and then, as I mentioned earlier saying, "That man's a bloody genius."

Point taken.

3 1/2 stars

Mockingjay

Could not find this book anywhere! And then I did, then I read it. And I read it again. And I gaped, and now I look upon it in awe, for this is quite literally AWESOME. I won't ruin the plot, for it is a plot worth not ruining. But if you have read it, please comment in the section below, without any spoilers, or the comment will be removed. Please tell me, did you think Katniss made the right choice, boy-wise. I bloody don't but hey, whatever. Full of joy and love and heartbreak, a beautiful conclusion to a beautiful series.

3 stars

That's all I've got for now, I'm calling it a day. If you have any requests or book-idea, I'm happy to read any comments you may offer!

Keep reading,

Yours Sincerely,

JB.

Look out for...

Some new books for the new year which you don't want to miss!

* Passion by Lauren Kate, book 3 of the Fallen series due out June 2011

* Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris, book 11 of the Sookie Stakhouse series due out May 3 2011

* Hades by Alexandra Adornetto, book 2 of the Halo series due out August 2011

* And, of course, the new Skulduggery Pleasant book, BOOK 6, yet to be named, but, I have been informed, less than a quarter done and already at 25, 000 words. This will be out as always in september 2011. This will be the end of the second trilogy with only three more books after this!

Thats all for now, take care and Merry Christmas.

Christmas Wishlist!

Wow. I have discovered something that - to me - is really quite amazing. People have actually been reading my blog. So I looked at that and I thought - wow, I better get my act together and post a new entry. So - here goes.

This month i have found myself in a state of great happiness. 'Tis the season to be jolly and jolly I am for Christmas is upon us. And guess what Christmas means to me? A PERFECT chance to score some new books!

Here is my recommended Wish List for Christmas shopping this year.

1) If you haven't got it already, the new Vampire Academy book came out this month. It's killing me not to rush in to Angus and Robertson's and just snatch that book off the shelf but everyone's already struggling for Christmas presents so I thought I'd let them have that one. It's called Last Sacrifice and is sadly the last book of an amazing series (is it just me, or are all books ending???) so get out your credit cards and beg your parents and friends, this ones gonna be a thriller!

2) Hush Hush! Yes, this has been out for awhile but I haven't read it yet, and it sounds so good I decided to put it on my wishlist! Will post a review ASAP, but this looks promising!

3) Screaming in the Silence. WARNING THIS BOOK IS EROTICA AND DOES CONTAIN ADULT MATERIAL. Great book though, I'm in the process of reading it and its really got a fantastic story line. Great gift for 18-40 years, but not children! Maybe give with a candy cane for extra measure ;)

That's all I have right now, but really, you can't go wrong with a book!

September

First - welcome, first blog in the busiest month, but on to buisness.

September is a busy time for books, especially series, and this is what you can look forward to this month:

Mortal Coil

Book 5 of Derek landy's brilliant Skulduggery Pleasant series. Now, I must confess, I've already read this book, I just couldn't wait. But, really, how could I? No use just talking about it I might as well give my review here and now. It is a blunt book, as Derek's books often are - filled with humor, attraction, death, fighting and a brand new assasin. Valkyrie delves deeper into her quest to stop Darquesse, the evil force inside her destined to destroy the world. Some old favourites revist the story, including the 'Zombie King' Scapegrace and his rather annoying side kick who simply refuses to rot, Thrasher. This is a fast-paced thriller, no suprise there, with a smash-bang ending that leaves you waiting for a year to find out what happens next. As always, Derek delivers. A premtive but well deserved 4 1/2 stars.

The Sending

Number 6 and the final book in Isabelle Carmody's Obernewtyn Chronicals. Confusing books, brilliant all the while, each one getting bigger until we last left off with The Stone Key, reaching a massive 1000 page mark. A great achievment, I might add. For release in the States, the book is being split into two books, The Red Queen and The Sending. Now, this seems to be a bit rushed, as I have just confirmed the release date has been set back to May 2011 instead of its original release date this month, but I thought I'd prepare you anyway. here is the gist of it:

Once shunned as a misfit, Elspeth Gordie had found love and happiness in a place where such things are rare. But while planning a trip to the mysterious 'Red Land' she recieves the long-awaited (and dreaded) call to drop everything and leave everyone she loves to save the world from a second apocalypse. She must cross dangerous Blacklands and seek a pack of dangerous human-hating wolves who can lead her across it to the Beforetime city that haunts her dreams..

I, for one, am looking forward to this blockbuster ending to a thrilling series.

Torment

Book two of the addictive Fallen series by Lauren Kate. I loved the first book, a taste of darkness and tragic tales of fallen angels... This book promises insight into the previous lives of protagonist, Luce, and the mysterious shadows. Daniel has left to hunt down the Outcasts and Luce is alone - and scared. She is taken to live temporarily in a school for very 'special' students - Nephilim, the offspring of angels and humans. She learns how to control the Shadows and use them to see into her previous lives, but she finds something she is perhaps not ready to see. Is Luce really destined for Daniel, or is fate destined to lead her elsewhere? I'm looking forward to finding out.

Clockwork Angel

Horrah, rejoice! Cassandra Clare, author of the Mortal Instruments series has decided to not only continue her current series but begin a brand new line called 'The Infernal Devices'. It delves deeper into the world of the Nephilim, the shadowhunters, charged with keeping the mundanes from harm by the demons. The story is set during the reign of Queen Victoria, in England with our brand new protagonist, Tessa. London holds a secret Downworld and even though Tessa has just come to find her brother, she finds something much more potent and life changing. But, in the end, is love the most dangerous magic of all?

So, that is all for now, my readers, and good luck with all the books this month holds in store for you!