Are your Dreams Fierce?

Fearsome Dreamer - Laure Eve 
Available Now and the final book in this Duology is available in August 2014! 

Welcome to the two very different countries where this tale resides - each has a completely different structure, belief system and most importantly technological understanding.

Pictured - Laure Eve being awesome

The dominant country known as 'World' is a conglomerate comprised of many separate countries we know today like America, China and parts of Europe to name a few. In World technology reigns supreme and all World citizens are implanted with a chip at birth allowing them to effortlessly jack into 'LIFE' the virtual reality accessible 24 hours a day. This is where everyone lives, they work, meet for coffee, travel, play games and hang out in Life. This online existence rules out any need to ever leave your home/city/country… public transportation no longer exists, there are no more outbreaks of disease or plane crashes and it's controlled easily through it's insularity. However the bulk of the story is set in the quaint and almost defiantly backwards realm of Angle Tar, Rue's home and where White has recently fled.

While World feels a little like the cautionary whale on the flip side there is Angle Tar, a small island compared to the vastness of World that seems a bastardised mix of old world London and Paris with a charming vocabulary to match. Here technology has been dismissed except for the most rudimentary creature comforts and in the face of such conformity feels wild and free, even a little dangerous. The 'when' of which this novel is set is hard to say, both of these new countries have an erie timelessness and they are both the future and the past in one alarming present. 

So Worlder's never leave their houses and Angle Tarians never leave their Island and at the heart of this story we have White and Rue and the gift of dreaming they share, one that very few others know anything about and a mysterious Castle that exists somewhere beyond these two realms but could hold the devastating end for them both.  My favourite of the immaculate details in this novel would have to be the nuances of language used, Laure creates such a strong image of characters and country. A great example of this is White's dialogue which, as a foreigner is noticeably stiff and formal where Rue as a commoner, is raw and honest, full of opinions and lust - Reading her as a YA character is a bit of a revelation really, a moment of "Ah this is what I've been missing". It's these wonderfully authentic details that set her writing apart and why I am so keen for Book 2 (the final of the series) even though I have a plethora of new books it ill jump to the top of my mountainous to-read pile!

Steampunk Success

Take Back the Skies - Lucy Saxon

Available - June 2014

Debut author Lucy Saxon has delivered an exciting and distinct YA steampunk adventure. Soaring skyships, a runaway cross-dressing teen and political intrigue abound! 

For Catherine Hunter growing up in the lap of luxury as daughter to one of the most influential men in Government has been a constant thorn in her side, forced to be compliant and dutiful while all around her people suffer. Children over the age of 13 are taken in 'collections' to fight in the endless war of the Empire, the poor are starved beyond breaking point and even the city itself is crumbling under the misery of it all. The final insult to Catherine is being betrothed, bartered off by her father like a prize cow, that is until she decides to take her fate into her own hands and herself out of the equation by stealing away on a small skyship disguised as a boy. On the Storm Dancer as Cat she finally feels at peace but this is merely the beginning of the tale.

While the pitch of the writing starts out quite young (say 14+) Lucy soon finds her feet and as her writing matures so does Cat as a character, all of a sudden there are gruesome revelations and heartbreaking consequences that you just don't see coming! The tale has plenty of excitement and has a rare quality making it accessible to both guys and girls, I have been told by a reliable source that Lucy has an entire series all mapped out and I'm looking forward to finding out what comes next!

I am absolutely loving all things Lucy, the more I learn about this awesome chick the more I wanna be her bestie and while working at Galaxy Bookshop I was lucky enough to submit a Q&A to this amazing young Cosplaying author and I'm so happy to be able to post her responses, some of which you may find surprising *Beware spoiler alert*

Lucy Saxon – Take Back the Skies Q&A  

What inspired you to write in the Steampunk genre? 

The fact that there isn’t that much modern steampunk fiction out there. It’s an aesthetic I really love, and something I thought I could have a lot of fun exploring. 

Do you ever base characters on people you know/have known? 

Not intentionally! Traits of people probably slip in here and there, but I’ve never purposely written a character based on someone I know in real life 

I found the Skyships and their Ports fascinating - how did you do your research on these? Or are they purely from your own imagination? 

The skyships and all surrounding them are from my imagination! I didn’t want to go with the typical zeppelin-style airship, so I started imagining something a little different, and it all went from there. 

How did you start out writing? Did you work your way up to a full novel with short stories or did the plot ideas come to you fully formed? 

I actually started out with fanfiction; short fics that got progressively longer, and then I eventually started trading fanfiction for original fiction once I was confident in my ability to write a full novel-length piece. 

Do you have any other stories in other worlds or genres in mind? 

So many! I have a lot of other novels and series’ planned for the future, but they’re all within the sci-fi/fantasy genre. I can’t wait to write them! 

Like all of us you must have authors you find inspiring and just Love, if you could co-write a novel with another author who would it be and why? 

Oooh, that’s a hard one. I think co-writing with Sarah J Maas would be pretty great; I really love her writing style, and I think it would mesh pretty well with mine. I’d also love to write with John Green, but considering we’re two different genres I can’t think of what we’d write! 

I don’t want to give away any spoilers but you drop a major bomb on us with that ending! Was it a tough decision to end it how you did? And what can we expect next for Cat??

It wasn’t too tough a decision; it was one of those things where I wrote to a certain point and then it hit me like ‘of course, it has to end that way’. I feel bad about it, of course, but some things are necessary! As for Cat’s future, it’s fairly set after the epilogue with exactly what that would imply. The second book isn’t actually about her, but a Siberene boy called Aleks. There will be mentions of Cat and what she’s up to, considering the position she’s now put herself in, but for the most part her adventuring days are over. 

Thanks Lucy and keep them coming!

Feel like something a bit…'Other'?

Written in Red (The Others Bk1) - Anne Bishop
Available Now and thankfully Book 2 has just hit the shelves!

Vampires, Shifters, elementals and magic but not like you know them, Anne writes a much darker depiction of these supernatural beasts. While in other stories things that are 'Other' are often depicted as dangerous yet somehow always end up just being misunderstood and gooey as caramel fudge deep down, right before becoming the perfect boyfriend, sigh, however in the world of Namid they only want to eat you, humans are literally seen as prey… trespass on their land - they tear you apart and eat you, swindle or trick them - they eat you, displease them - they eat you, really piss them off? they will turn your entire town into an underwater attraction…well I think you get the idea, just don't mess with the Others.

Our leading lady Meg Corbyn is a Cassandra Sangue or blood prophet, one of the rare girls who when cut can see a vision of the possible future pertaining to particular person willing to pay the exorbitant fee for such a service. These girls are kept tightly under lock and key while it is explained to the public as a kindness due to the nature of cutting which is so pleasurable the vast majority of girls get addicted and as with all addictions there can be dire consequences, in this case the possibility of bleeding out for example. Heavy stuff I know. So Meg makes the life changing decision to run away (thank goodness) and finds herself at the gates of the Lakeside Courtyard and at the mercy of the Others who watch over and govern the town of Lakeside from within.

What transpires next is a look into a fantastic new urban fantasy world, Anne sets a cracking pace for her characters who are endearing in their own quirky way and as more details are brought to light the plot thickens revealing a deep undercurrent of menace that follows through to book 2. As a new fan of Anne's I feel this is a perfect introduction to her work, it portrays her scope of world building and character design yet isn't quite as dark as her previous work. I am very much looking forward to diving into her extensive backlist. 

Also look out for Book 2 Murder of Crows also available. 

The BEST book you'll read this year!

Dreams of Gods and Monsters - Laini Taylor
Available Now in Aus, April 17 2014 in the UK

Wow…I…..…It was……sigh. Simply, amazing and honestly the most magical experience I have had to date as a reader.

The emotions portrayed by Laini in this final installment in the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy (learn more about Book 1 here) are beautifully raw and as deep as an ocean, and I believe this is what elevates this novel into something truly special. Whether it was sorrow or joy they resonated so strongly in my very soul that I would stop reading and just breathe it in, let the tears fall or a smile take hold.

As it turns out this isn't just the story of the Seraphim and Chimera's survival as there are a few new and pivotal strings added to the tapestry, woven expertly together with the old elements and characters we love then played out on both Earth and Ertez. You won't believe where this story will end, I'm still trying to piece my mind back together after it was thoroughly blown! Without giving any spoilers all I can say is that you will not be disappointed, this final leg of Karou's tale has all of the magic, romance, action and heart shattering twists of the first two. 

This series has been an absolute stand out in my favorites of all time and I am beyond depressed to see it end, my only advice to those of you who haven't enjoyed it yet would be to reread books one and two - I really wish that I had refreshed my memory and postponed this bittersweet ending as long as possible.

Aren't we all just….

In celebration of the almost nearness of Wednesday I want to share what I'm currently devouring with you…..

I can hardly wait to post my review of this absolutely amazing book, it will surely be a bitter sweet moment for me as it will mean that Ive finished and this world will be closed to me forever. As I'm sure you can appreciate I am taking as long as I possibly can and savouring every chapter. Godstars, I just never want it to end!

Stay tuned…. x

All you need is a Spark

Amazingly Requiem For Readers has just cracked 5000 page views!!! I want to give a MASSIVE Thank you to all of my readers out there and to celebrate here is a special preview post for you… This little gem is due out next month, enjoy and thanks a million!xx


Moth & Spark - Anne Leonard
Available - April 2014

This is an adventurous fantasy debut for Anne Leonard and it sits quite comfortably in the traditional/historical fantasy camp with a medieval-esk world; swords, spies and intrigue, a great battle of empires and of course dragons!

What is not so traditional is the duel dialogue making both the male and female lead characters equally important even in a somewhat patriarchal society. The female protagonist Tam while being pegged as a commoner is clever, resourceful and practically minded, age both gives and receives strength from our Hero Prince Corin and effortlessly earns her place beside him. The dragons thankfully have a pivotal role, they aren't just a superfluous addition but a beautiful and rather complex layer that ties the story together. 

What I have to say I loved most however is the fact that it's a stand alone novel - in a domain that is fatigued with long winded series that often seem to have no end in sight this is a refreshing escape and a very promising introduction from Anne. 

Which cover do you prefer?….