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Advent (Advent Trilogy #1)

The ocean has kept its secret for a long time, but now it is giving it up to the earth. It will be found- the magic ring of the greatest magus in the world- and it will be at the centre of a power struggle. Gavin never knew he was different until everyone started telling him that it wasn’t normal to hear voices. Miss Grey, he called her, and she became his secret. The only person who ever understood him was Gwen; his odd aunt. Now Gavin is visiting her in Cornwall, and in the process he will discover who he really is. He will discover hidden magic. There is something profoundly different about Advent. Perhaps it is the atmosphere of history, magic mystery it exudes, or maybe the curiousity Continue reading →

Wereworld: Shadow of the Hawk (Wereworld #3)

Drew has been ensnared by the evil Goatlord Kesslar, who intends to see the rightful king of Westland thrown to the sword in a spectacle of gladiatorial combats far, far away from the Catlords who want him dead. But Drew is not one to give in easily, and Kesslar may have a bigger problem on his hands than expected, particularly when Drew makes allies of his enemies in the gladiatorial pit… Curtis Jobling, it seems, is constantly writing- proven by the fact that the third installment in his Wereworld series is being published a mere twelve months after the series debuted on the market, offering an alternative to the somewhat archetypal high-fantasy novels that feature dragons, elves and magic. Wereworld: Shadow of the Hawk sees the introduction of many fresh Continue reading →

The Fault in Our Stars

Reviewer’s note: the following is much less a review than a pondering upon The Fault in Our Stars. It is probably highly garbled, inconsistent and disjointed. Please forgive me; this seems to be a recurring consequence of reading John Green’s novels. “Why love if losing hurts so much? I have no answers any more…. The pain now is part of the happiness then. That’s the deal.” ~ C. S. Lewis in the 1993 film, Shadowlands. That was never said by C. S. Lewis, but it’s the sort of thing I can imagine him saying in lieu of the death of his wife to bone cancer, and it’s so very true to the essence of The Fault in Our Stars. So true, in fact, that it could be a thematic synopsis Continue reading →

Blogtour: Curtis Jobling, author of Wereworld…

It is my pleasure to welcome Curtis Jobling, author of the Wereworld novels, to ThirstforFiction where he writes about one of Lyssia’s were-elite as part of the WEREWORLD “7 REALMS, 7 BEASTS” BLOG TOUR… Lady Shah, the Werehawk The Hawklady is one of the last of her kind, the rest of her proud people having been sent into exile many years ago by King Leopold when he defeated Wergar the Wolf. Sworn into the service of Count Kesslar, she is the Goatlord’s eyes and ears throughout the courts of the Seven Realms. While many of Lyssia’s therianthropes have at some point in time enjoyed a court life, Shah remembers little. From her teenage years onwards she has been a plaything of Kesslar’s, his errand-girl, carrying messages across the Seven Realms Continue reading →

Pure (Pure #1)

Outside of the Dome life is hard. There is little food, electricity or running water. It has been this way since the Detonations shook the world. But life goes on and Pressia Belze is struggling through the harsh wasteland to care for herself and her grandfather. What she doesn’t know is that she is part of far bigger- something that existed even before the Detonations. Her history will unravel with that of the boy, Partridge, who lives in the Dome, though they have yet to know each other… Julianna Baggott’s Pure is more of a post-apocalyptic tale than that of a dystopian society, mainly due to the fact that there isn’t much society left. The little that does exist is trapped inside the Dome, a sanctuary for those who were Continue reading →

News Roundup #10

In the rush of Christmas and the New Year (Happy New Year everyone!) I’ve had little time to compile a news round-up. But not to worry: today’s post is huuuuuge. So please enjoy and comment with what you think/are looking forward to! First off, something that Moira Young posted on her Facebook regarding the sequel to the critically acclaimed Blood Red Road (which, incidentally, has just won the Costa award). The title has been confirmed as Rebel Heart- a fitting title, I think. As well as that, Scholastic are reprinting Blood Red Road with beautiful new covers. Expected publication of Rebel Heart is August this year (2012). Paramount Studios have also been in talks to aquire the film rights to Daughter of Smoke and Bone, a intruiging novel by Laini Continue reading →

An Abundance of Katherines

Have you ever thought you’d only date girls who share a name? Perhaps it was a passing thought, but for Colin, it is a reality. For the past 10-15 years of his life, he’s only been interested in Katherines. Not Catherines, Katys, Kats, Cates or Kate. Now, after having been dumped by his 19th Katherine, he’s decided to go on a roadtrip to get away from it all. But his time spent on the road will be very different from what he imagined it would be like… This is my second John Green novel in my quest to read all his books in order of publication before the release of The Fault in Our Stars, which will be his fourth solo novel but 6th novel in total (not counting his Continue reading →

Best of 2011 – a Novel Summary

“The time has come,” the Walrus said, “To talk of many things” It is that time of the year again when we look back at all the books that have been released in the last 12 months and pick our best reads. For me, 2011 has been a busy year, filled with fantastic novels: I’ve read just over 70 books, met authors and other bloggers and just had a good time. But now I must pick my favourites. This has been a long and hard process. Make sure you comment to say what your favourite books of 2011 are! [Note that I am only including novels that have been published in 2011: I have read several excellent novels that have been published previously or will be published in the coming Continue reading →

Mockingjay (The Hunger Games #3)

With District 13 now at the forefront of a full-scale rebellion in Panem, President Snow and the Capitol are retalliating. Katniss is at the forefront- her face the catalyst, her words the motivation people need. But she wants to do more. She wants to fight, to bring down President Snow and end this tyranny forever. The question is, what will replace the Capitol? When Mockingjay was released in 2010, there was a huge buzz both on Twitter and the blogosphere. Having not read the trilogy, I watched as people were struggling to express what they felt about it: were they thrilled? Disappointed? Utterly confused? There’s no doubt about it that Mockingjay is a far more political novel than either The Hunger Games or Catching Fire, which were both predominantly action-based. Continue reading →

Catching Fire (The Hunger Games #2)

Just when you think you’re safe, the opposite is true. Katniss has been threatened by President Snow that if she cannot prevent the uprisings happening in the districts, her friends and family will pay. But that’s not all. The Capitol is planning a thrilling 75th Hunger Game and to mark the momentous occasion of another quarter century gone by, the Games will be particularly bloody. Katniss is a lot less safe than she thinks she is… The second book in a trilogy is always notoriously hard to get right; few second books are better than their original counterparts or the concluding novel. Catching Fire is no different. Its fatal flaw is that it is far too similar to The Hunger Games. I believe the reason a series exists is not Continue reading →

Trapped

You know things are bad when it starts to snow heavily and doesn’t stop, the power goes out and the heating dies, and the roof groans under the weight of the snow. You know things are even worse when you’re stuck in a high school, nobody knows you’re there, and nobody can save you… The nature of survival novels such as Trapped is that often they’re a better idea in theory rather than in practice. There just isn’t space for originality. The only way a Day-After-Tomorrow-esque story like Trapped can progress is from bad to worse, from problem to conflict and salvation. Due to these limits, Michael Northrop doesn’t have much leverage when it comes to defying expectations. The basis of all good novels is conflict- between characters, in the Continue reading →

Philip Reeve and Steampunk Event

There are many of you who are perhaps unaware of my addiction to Philip Reeve’s awesome novels, which include the superb Mortal Engines quartet, fantastic Fever Crumb series and the delightful Here Lies Arthur. So when the chance to arose to actually meet and talk (and get my books signed) by Philip, I was uver-thrilled. Few things are more exciting than being able to talk to an author whose work you hold as some of your favourite, ever. So thus it came about that I trekked to London after school on a windy, dark and rainy day, and traversed the mayhem of the rush-hour Tube to finally arrive at Foyles bookshop, where the signing would take place. I nearly got lost in the bookshop. It’s so big, and has nooks Continue reading →

Inheritance (Inheritance Cycle #4)

The time has come for the final battle. The Varden are marching on Uru’baen, the elves are on their way and slowly, Eragon’s power is building. He is no longer the boy he was- he has becoome a master rider. But only the fates will tell who is to win in the epic clash between Eragon and Galbatoric… After nearly a decade, the conclusive novel of the Inheritance Cycle (formerly the Inheritance Trilogy) has finally been published. And what a journey- over two thousand pages of epic battles, stange creatures, and magical abilities. Regardless of whether you think the Inheritance Cycle is derivative garbage or inspirationally original, you can’t deny that Christopher Paolini has, since Eragon, richened the land of Alagaesia to such an extent that it now truly has Continue reading →

News Roundup #9

The time has come again for the latest whenever-I-feel-like-it irregular posting of News Roundup where we summarise the latest YA book news (minus the paranormal romance!) This time round we have a couple of extracts from some of next year’s big as well as some cover reveals and film adaptation news! First off, you can read a (relatively large) extract of Dan Wells’ latest project- the post-apocalyptic/dystopian Partials which is on sale in February next year. Dan Wells is the author of the fantastic I Am Not A Serial Killer trilogy and he’s a name to look out for on the burgeoning YA market. To read the extract, simply “like” the Partials page on Facebook. Curtis Jobling, who is the author of Wereworld: Rise of the Wolf and Rage of Continue reading →

The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games #1)

After the rebellions, the Capitol decided to host an annual gladitorial fest to show the people of the twelve Districts who’s in charge. Every year a girl and a boy are drawn into the Hunger Games, and every year there are exactly twenty-three casualties. The seventy-fourth games are just about to begin and Katniss is in for the running. The question is, will she be good enough to win? Her luck in life seems to suggest no… Somewhat guiltily I must admit that I haven’t read The Hunger Games. That’s awful of me, I know, but it now puts me in a (somewhat) unique position of being able to review it in the hindsight of what a hit series it has become. There is no doubt that my expectations for Continue reading →