Where Wilde Girls Run Free

Fairytales for Wilde Girls - Allyse Near
This is new, new, new and available NOW!

"There was something familiar but strange about her - Snow White with a suntan. Cinderella in biker boots. Tough and delicate and magical and real all at once" - Pg 96

This utterly original Grim Noir foe-fairytale is the debut novel for young Melbournian writer Allyse Near and I couldn't be more excited with the outcome. Writing by her own rules masking the old amoung the modern, beauty and beastly, dark and light are all combined and beautifully realised in this enchanting tale. Comprising of snippets of self made fairytales, profound quotes, illustrations and 'Dramatis Personae' throughout, breaking the book apart creating a multifaceted urban legend, then lovingly sewn back together to form a glorious whole. 

This book is truly a work of art and I fear my reveiw will never do such a unique story justice so I'm not going to give you a synopsis other than to say this is a story of a very different young lady Isola Wilde and her Brother Princes, all battling against their own dragons - themes of loss, acceptance, fear and belonging rise to the surface of this story like soapy bubbles from Mother Wilde's bath - relatable feelings among a fantastic world.

Pick up a copy and get lost within these pages and the mind of Isola Wilde… 

My Pick of 2013!

Angelfall - Susan Ee
Available - 28 May 2013

This is without doubt one of those rare books that genuinely thrills and excites the reader, it's so utterly enticing that I would gladly sit and read while the world burned down around me which is exactly what has happened in this post apocalyptic novel, where Angels have invaded and turned the world to ash. Their rampage has reduced the human race to a violently desperate, rambling hoard where no one is safe and everything is consumed by chaos and even more alarming is that it only took the Angels 6 short weeks to accomplish.
Angels? I hear you ask somewhat incredulously - aren't they supposed to be the good guys?? Well apparently not and seeing as (spoiler alert) we gunned down their messenger Gabrielle the 'why' will not be forthcoming anytime soon… for either side. 

Penryn would have to be my fave written character since Lani Taylor's Karou, sharp as a tack and loyal to a fault, I wish she was my new best friend (OK I admit, bit of a girl crush going on here) you really cant help rooting for her as you feverishly devour each chapter hoping she'll make it out of one desperate situation after the next. Her Angel ah..hostage? Raffe is tall, dark and mysterious with a dry but wicked sense of humour and the banter between the two is quite entertaining. But don't be fooled this isn't one of your usual YA romps, the romance in this book is basically non existent as our two main characters are far too preoccupied with things like surviving, re-attaching wings (Geew, don't ask) and finding lost little sisters without getting killed or worse, eaten (yep it happens). 

The fast pace and shockingly gory action scenes keep you turning pages till there's none left, it's no wonder that theres already a major movie deal in the works, mind you I'm not too sure I want to see some of those sights made 'real'....

Look all I can say is that its gritty, honest and unapologetically in your face and I LOVED it!

Want a sneak peek? Visit Susan's website for 5 free chapters! http://www.susanee.com/blog/angelfall/ 

Undead Soldier Slaves

Reboot - Amy Tintera
Available - June 2013

"5 years ago I died 178 minutes later, I woke up"

Gritty, exciting and a little bit morbid (just the way I like them!). Wren Connolly died at age 12 from bullet wounds to the chest, for most that would be a permanent end, in this post apocalyptic Texas however there is life after death as a Reboot, basically after dying a lucky percentage of the population reanimate and depending on how quickly you do so determines the amount of humanity you retain - for example, someone who reboots at say 45 minutes will have far more emotion than someone rebooting at 120 minutes however the 120 will be faster, stronger and have better healing capabilities…



Our protagonist is a rare breed even among reboots, Wren178 has a dry sense of humour (if any) and near complete lack of empathy that is as refreshing as it is entertaining. As soon as someone reboots they are taken into the custody of the government where they are sent to facilities to be trained as soldiers but treated like slaves - if they step out of line they are eliminated, simple as that.

Having had a hard existence as a human, being practically a slave has its perks for Wren - a roof over her head, four square meals a day…until something starts going wrong with her roommate and only real friend, Ever56. They are using the lower numbers as lab rats and the result is terrifying. From here everything starts to change for Wren as she also takes on a newbie to train - someone she never would normally have chosen and the lowest number through HARC in a long time, only 22!- is she getting in touch with her humanity… and if so where will it lead her?

This is the Australian cover - keep a look out for it as it hit the shelves this week!!!

More plot twists than a Bourne film

ACID - Emma Pass
Available - May 2013

The year is 2113 and England has been cut off from the rest of Europe after massive economic decline of the GFC making it into the Independent Republic of Britain (IRB) and its new governing body is a police force on steroids - ACID (Agency for Crime Investigation and Defence) who rule the populace with an iron fist, mired in conspiracy.

London has been segregated into three very different sections, wealthy Upper, Middle (as the name would suggest) and poverty stricken Lower. Jenna Strong a former resident of Upper and Daughter of a high ranking ACID agent has been incarcerated in Mileway prison after being found guilty of murdering both of her parents… albeit accidentally while rebelling against the life partner scheme all 17 year olds are bound to uphold.

This is an edgy sci fi story with a kick ass protagonist who goes through absolute hell I mean this girl is put back together more times than Katniss Everdeen! The technology is advanced but relatable and Emma portrays a scary picture of what could be making me feel extra grateful for how free we really are in our present.

Lifetimes of Love

Rising Darkness - Thea Harrison
Penguin - Available now, New this month!

"Oh good," she said. "We still have hours and hours." 

"A veritable wealth of minutes," he said.

She lifted her eyebrows and smiled, "A staggering fortune in seconds".

Having been immersed in YA  reading for a while I had quite forgotten what it was like to read an adult Paranormal Romance novel, its so refreshingly grown up! The characters are mature, the language and premise are so well formulated and in lieu of all the teenage yearning and angst is a satisfying yet tasteful sex scene or two (Yay finally). This is my first experience reading Thea Harrison but I'm sure it wont be my last, I had heard such great things about her Elder series that when this proof passed my way I was eager to give her a go. 

This story has one of my all time favourite plot twists connected souls and reincarnation, I'm such a sucker for a good romance spanning the centuries. Our two main protagonists Micheal and Mary along with 6 others are from an ancient alien civilisation of what I would describe as higher beings of light that almost predate our history, arriving on Earth after a self imposed exile to hunt down one of their own - the first of their race to break the bonds of a mated pair and seek to destroy for enjoyment. These poor souls have endured throughout the centuries to pit themselves against the 'Deceiver' in the hope of putting an end to his attempts at world domination, all the while knowing they can never return home. This ongoing war is about to have an epic final smack down and I cant wait for the next installment in the saga!

I Am.

Nameless - Lili St Crow
Penguin - Available NOW, its NEW NEW NEW!

This new offering from Lili St Crow is a very different take on the Snow White fairytale, with a few of our old favourites thrown in (ahem Red Ridding Hood and Cinderella as co-stars much?) Also for good measure are Vampires families that rule like royalty and a whole horde of wonderful beasts and beings.

I have to be honest, she really throws you in the deep end right from the first page with creatures and terms I knew nothing about - I felt lost and more than a bit confused as I tried to navigate this new world that the characters were so familiar with. Slowly but surely however it all became more familiar and with that familiarity came a compulsion to devour, to know 'what next'?!

This particular re-telling is dark and Gothic with glowing magic intertwined with technology in a beautiful and sometimes superfluous fashion, charms used to ward off evil or add a sparkle to your hair do. What I found most refreshing about this tale was Camille or "Cami" our main character, found late one night in the snow - battered, bruised, broken and mute, she has a real sense of tragedy to her - jumping to the current day and Cami still struggles with irrational fears, nightmares and an unruly stutter that permeates her every sentence. The damages sustained in her past are as obvious as the scars that mare her body, that fragility and her continued existence speak so much for her strength and spirit ...to read a character that has suffered a dark past that visibly shadows her future brings a necessary element of reality to an otherwise fantastical tale and it is so often the missing ingredient.