Thursday 21 April 2011

Immortality at a Price

Immortal Beloved – Cate Tiernan
Hachette - Available NOW


I vastly enjoyed this and the new twist on the immortal theme, where immortals are born rather than 'made'.

I loved the depth and breadth of the past that was divulged by the main character Nastasya (Nasty to her friends) some of it dating back 400 years to her immortal childhood and adolescence - it really gave you a sense of time and place and the vastness that it means to be immortal, a concept that is often skipped over in many other books of the genre.

I was cheering for Nasty during her quest of personal discovery and reveled in the rawness of her character, the story follows seemingly mundane activities but still manages to keep you highly interested and turning pages at pace (this is another one I finished in 3 or so days).

I can’t wait to see what happens in book two, especially where her Viking nemesis turned love interest is concerned… and it just so happens that I have the manuscript in my hot little hands *glee* - dont worry, i'll let you know how it goes :)

Amber x

Wednesday 13 April 2011

Crime for Me

Bleed for Me – Michael Robotham
Hachette - Available now

Michael personally requested I read this and when you get a request from an author to read one of his books you can’t very well decline!

Having not read a crime novel before I was apprehensive at best, however my fears were quickly dispelled by Joe O'Loughlin a psychologist turned uni professor and our main character who felt self assured and dependable – I knew with him holding my hand we could make it through the inevitable on-coming trauma...

Set in a gorgeous little country town in the UK just outside of Bath, the story sets off introducing you to Joe and his moral code while at the hearing of an ex-patient, it then goes on to show you the wreck Joe's life has become after being diagnosed with Parkinsons and his resulting separation from his wife and two little girls.  

The story heats up when Joe's eldest daughter's, best friend Sienna Hegarty turns up at their family home covered in blood and then runs off into the night prompting Joe to find her and involving him with the unfolding mystery of her father's gruesome murder. His investigation leads him to the girls High school drama teacher Gordon Ellis who openly admits to encouraging his students to fall in love with him and by extension the subject he teaches - is this the case of an inspirational teacher or a self involved and sick individual?

It was a brilliant book with lovable and loathable characters in equal measures and a plot line that will keep you guessing till the end!


Monday 11 April 2011

Love and Death in Paris

Die For Me - Amy Plum
Hachette - Little, Brown
Release Date: May 2011


Unable are the loved to die. For love is immortality. - Emily Dickinson


From  the quote on the first page, this is an immensely enjoyable read and luckily enough - soon to be series!!


Set in gorgeous present day Paris we follow the story of 16 yr old Kate who, after the tragic death of both of her parents in a car accident has just been relocated with her sister Georgia to live with her grandparents in Paris. 
Kate is struggling to deal with the loss of her parents and by extension the life she knew but, having spent many family holidays in Paris is able to take comfort in the streets, galleries and museums she once shared with her Mum which are all beautifully described as she whiles away her summer holidays before her start at a new school and return to 'reality'.


Enter the mysterious Vincent, with a new and interesting take on the undead he introduces Kate to the world of Revenants - once mortals who have died in the process of saving others and were blessed (or cursed depending on how you look at it) to continue to die selflessly in the stead of others for all eternity.


The difference with this love story is having felt and not yet fully recovered from the aching pain of loosing a loved one, Kate struggles with her feelings for Vincent and isn't sure she can withstand the morbid requirements of his job description - wether or not she manages to overcome these demons from her past i will leave to you to find out....








Thursday 7 April 2011

My first foray as a Reviewer...

Daughter of Smoke and Bone - Laini Taylor
Hachette - Hodder 
Release date: Oct 2012


I am exceptionally lucky to be able to start you off on such amazing footing, unfortunately for everyone else this wont be available until October however I'm sure you will hear plenty about it before then!
So here goes...


Let me begin by saying that this is unlike anything else I have ever read and as such I wont bother making any comparisons. 
It's delicious and intoxicating and capable of making you resent anything that comes between you and your devouring of Karou's story. Best described as an epic fantasy adventure filled with myths and mysteries, Angels and Demons, star-crossed love and deadly betrayal where two worlds are joined but remain separate, and war is waged by two opposing sides of the same coin - the only victor, the beast of war itself .


Laini writes with whimsical imagination as she introduces our main character the mysterious blue haired Karou - orphaned daughter to a handful of human/beast melds called Chimera, who exist solely it would seem within the walls of a shop that barters in teeth and located in a place that is only known to her as 'Elsewhere' . I yearned along with Karou to know her past and the reason for her 'hollowness' as I'm sure you will too and without giving too much away, was intrigued by the revelations that followed.


I can hardly wait to be enveloped in the next instalment of this amazing tale!





And so it Begins...

Hello and welcome to my FIRST EVER Blog!


After requests from friends, family and fellow readers for my low down on whats hot and new I have decided to create this Blog to make life a little easier (in theory) for me and others...not to mention this way I may actually get around to writing the reviews I'm supposed to be writing...


I hope everyone finds it interesting and useful and I apologise in advance if at any time I sound like a twat :)


All the best,
Amber