The disappeared - Review

The disappeared by C.J. Harper

Available now 

simonandschuster.co.uk 

What's it about?

n a future where children are segregated into institutions that range from comfortable “Learning Communities” to prison-like “Local Academies”, seventeen-year-old Jackson is an academic high flyer, living in a top Learning Community and destined for a position in the Leadership. But when he is sent with his best friend Wilson to deliver a package to a factory block, the two boys are attacked, leaving Jackson badly beaten and Wilson dead.

Confused and upset, Jackson returns to his Learning Community only to be dismissed by his teachers who claim not to know him. Sent to an Academy, an institute set up to train factory workers, Jackson finds himself immersed in a world that couldn’t be further removed than the comfortable life he’s used to; a harsh, violent, semi-articulate society where the students have created their own hierarchy based on fighting ability.

Using his wits to survive, Jackson starts to realise that his whole life has been based on half-truths. And in order to survive he needs to expose the lies that surround the Academy and find out the truth about who he really is. As he builds alliances and begins to educate those closest to him, a plan for rebellion and escape gradually comes into shape...

My review

The disappeared was a brilliant debut novel, full of action, mystery and suspense. I really enjoyed discovering the darker side to Jackson's world alongside him and was constantly intrigued to find out more, I wanted to get the bottom of things and make a change just as much as him. Harper has created a great future, dystopic, world where everyone is segregated and oppressed without even realising it. That is, until Jackson comes along, moved from one class to another he notices the differences and realises just how much he was controlled before when he thought he was happy. Rather than keep his head down, he picks at the foundations and is persistent in trying to figure out why things are, how they are, even though he knows it could lead him into trouble. I really like this about him and liked his curious nature. I enjoyed the friendships he made and all the characters in the book.
The plot was paced well and I felt the mystery was revealed with good timing, I didn't get bored of waiting to see what was happening or what would come next and I never got overloaded with info either, it all came out a bit at a time.
I thought this was a stand alone novel but I've just literally found there will be a sequel which I really can't wait for as I'm dying to see what happens next after the ending of the book!

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Showcase Sunday (49)

'Showcase Sunday' is hosted by Vicky over at Books, biscuits and tea.

17th - 23rd June '13

Hello all, sorry there's been nothing up this week! I've just been really busy and not had much time to get on the computer. But anyway...

It's my birthday this coming Friday and I've already been lucky enough to receive a few gifts!

First off, I got this lovely paperback of Double click, a few months back I got an ecopy for review and loved the book as much as the first, but I really wanted a copy of the pb because my review is quoted on the back cover! And also because I have the first in pb which is also signed, the author was nice enough to send me a copy herself and signed it which was so awesome of her!

Then I also got three books from a friend; Let the sky fall by Shannon Messenger, Middle ground by Katie Kacvinsky and Gravity by Melissa West. All have been on my wishlist for ages so I can't wait to get to them!

What did you get this week?

Showcase sunday (48)

'Showcase Sunday' is hosted by Vicky over at Books, biscuits and tea.

10th - 16th June '13

I've had another great week for books and got a couple I'm excited about :)

First off a good friend gifted me a copy For darkness shows the stars by Diana Peterfreund which has been on my wishlist for so long! And another friend gave me her copy of Aces up by Lauren Barnholdt which I'm looking forward to getting to.

I also picked myself up a copy of Walking disaster by Jamie McGuire this week, I've not read book one yet but it was only £2 so I figured why not?

And the other two books I got are for review, Anarchy by James Treadwell and Unbreakable by Elizabeth Norris which I'm excited about as I enjoyed book one.

I also got a couple of Kindle freebies, Crossing the line by Katie McGarry and Stitch by Samantha Durante and bought a couple of cheap ones, The great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald was 77p and Watch over me by Daniela Sacerdoti is only 30p!

What did you get this week?

Nail your books (13)

'Nail your books is a feature started by Cristina at The princess of storyland, where we share our book inspired manicures.

This weeks manicure is inspired by the cover for The disappeared by C.J. Harper.

Here's the cover

And here's my nails

I used, Rimmel 'Black pearl,' Rimmel 'Blue eyed girl,' The new black 'Blue shimmer,' and Barry M white and black nail art pens. Picture is also shown with a base coat, Barry M 'Matte white' as a base colour and a top coat.
Of course I didn't really fancy trying to draw loads of tiny little people so this is my take on the cover and I really like how it came out, I love all the colours mottled together underneath and the lines on top kind of give it a gingham feel.
What do you think?

UK vs THE WORLD (71)

UK vs. The world is a weekly meme I made up lol.

It's simlair to UK vs. US except the UK covers are battling it out with their foreign counterparts from all over the world, because who doesn't love judging books by their covers!

UK                         vs                  Bulgaria

Firebrand by Gillian Philip

Rebel angels book one.

('Непокорна кръв' translates to 'Rebellious blood.' - According to Google translate.)

Mist: I haven't read this book so I don't know which suits the story best but I prefer the Bulgarian cover. Even though they're both quite similar I like the real man as opposed to the drawn one and I like all the fire and castles in the background. Generally I just find the Bulgarian cover more striking and its the one I'd choose to have on my shelf.

Ninfa: These are very similar covers, almost like the same scene in a movie. I like the darker colours in the UK cover, but there's something heroic about the Bulgarian cover, with the horse galloping and the warrior ready to fight. I like the castle backdrop, and the village burning.
As I said, all the elements in both covers are very similar, but I think this time I prefer the Bulgarian cover.

Which do you prefer?

Renegade - Quickie review

Renegade by Cambria Hebert

Heven and hell book four

Available now 

What's it about?

I’ve been beautiful. I’ve been ugly. I’ve died. I’ve been brought back. I’ve had abilities awakened within me. My strength has been tested. My beliefs have been tested.

Yet I stand. 

What’s next when you’ve pretty much experienced it all? 

The end. 

Sam and I are picking up the pieces. We’re trying to come to terms with all we’ve lost. And as much as I would like to hide my head, ignore the reality I live every day, there is no forgetting. 

Riley is in hell—I’m still not sure of his agenda. My mother’s past haunts me. And Kimber… Kimber is being herself. Cole sneaks glances at Gemma and she returns them when she thinks I don’t see. 

But I do. 

When Beelzebub escapes he brings his war to places I never thought he would. Earth. Maine. Home. Now everyone and everything is at risk. This has become bigger than my circle of friends. This has become bigger than me. I have to finish this. I have to find a way to stop him, to finish this war. 

I just pray we will all be left standing in the end.

Other books in the series
Before - Book 0.5
Masquerade - Book one
Between - Book 1.5
Charade - Book two
Bewitched - Book 2.5
Tirade - Book three
Beneath - Book 3.5
My review

This is a favourite series of mine and I've been hotly anticipating the final book to see how everything goes down in the end. Renegade does not disappoint and is full of all the action and twists as the previous books and is an excellent seal on the series. I don't want to say too much, what with it being the fourth book and chances are, if you're reading this review then you've already read at least some of the series and are curious about whether it keeps up t its high standards. Well I can confirm that it does, its another brilliant book and I enjoyed it from start to finish. I think the story was ended well and liked the ending. I haven't started the authors other series yet so I'm really looking forward to seeing what she comes up with next as she's a very talented and imaginative lady!

My thoughts on the cover
Love it! I love the new design all the covers have, they look more slick and blend together better and of course I love that both Heven and Sam are on here... But - and I know I'm being picky - where is Heven's scar?

Favourite quotes

'God, could that boy kiss. He had a way of stamping out every thought, every whisper, every single thing around us until there was only his lips upon mine.'

'I found it extremely ironic we were planning our trips to hell around our school and party schedule.'

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Double click - Review

Double click by Lisa Becker

Click: An online love story book two.

Available now 

What's it about?

Fans of the romantic hit Click: An Online Love Story will enjoy another voyeuristic dive into the lives of Renee, Shelley, Ashley, Mark and Ethan, as Double Click picks up with their lives six months later. Are Renee and Ethan soul mates? Does Mark ever go on a date? Has Shelley run out of sexual conquests in Los Angeles? Will Ashley's judgmental nature sabotage her budding relationship? Through a marriage proposal, wedding, new baby and unexpected love twist, Double Click answers these questions and more. Readers will continue to cheer, laugh, cry and cringe following the email exploits of Renee and friends.

Other books in the series

Click: An online love story - Book one

My review

I really enjoyed book one, Click: An online love story, so I've been really anticipating the release of book two and enjoyed it just as much. Double click has all the laughs of the first book, a couple of new characters and some fun twists. The book was an absolute pleasure to read and I got through it in a day! Once again, even though the book is told through emails so you hear about everything after the characters have done it, I didn't feel like I missed anything, its all very realistic like when conversations move onto teasing and messing around because that is how we talk with our friends. I also liked that Ethan is now included in this one too and also someone else new, but I won't spoil. I also thought the addition of email forwards for cute cat pictures and videos was hilarious because don't we all get annoying forwards like that lol.
Amongst all the humour that kept me giggling was also a great and simple story for all of the characters and it was great to see where they went next and if relationships would work out and I even got emotional alongside the girls towards the end of the book.
I really don't know what more I can say that wouldn't just be gushing about how great this book is so I'll leave it at this, if you haven't tried Click: An online love story, then you should and if you have, then you should definitely pick up Double click!

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Showcase Sunday (47)

'Showcase Sunday' is hosted by Vicky at Books, biscuits and tea.

3rd - 9th June '13

Hello! So I didn't get any books last week but I'm back this week with an awesome stack, I would have done a vlog but I only got the majority of them yesterday so there hasn't been time, but anyway, on to the books!

First off, I got two books for review this week, Terminus by Adam Baker, this is the sequel to the brilliant Outpost and third book in the series altogether, I actually started it the day it arrived because I couldn't wait and loving it so far. Revenge wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger was a random book, I haven't read the first but I did enjoy the movie so I'll probably pick this up when I'm in the mood for it.

Next, I went to Simon and Schusters little blogger party yesterday and received all of these amazing goodies!

Spy society by Robin Benway

Severed heads, broken hearts by Robyn Schneider

Hunting Lila by Sarah Alderson

The sound by Sarah Alderson

The disappeared by C.J. Harper

Casting shadows by Sophie McKenzie

Split second by Sophie McKenzie

Dangerous girls by Abigail Haas

The prey by Andrew Fukuda

I also got a tote bag and some Zom-B baby jelly babies. I really can't wait to read these books and actually started The disappeared on the train home and it has a strong start!

C.J. Harper and Sophie McKenzie were also at the event, they both did a little talk and signed copies of their books, it was a really great day and it's always fun to meet other bloggers and the people from the publishers :)

eBooks

I also picked up Renegade by Cambria Hebert on my Kindle and read it right away, its the last book in the series and was awesome!

What did you get this week?

The hit - Review

The hit by Melvin Burgess

Available now

doublecluck.co.uk 

What's it about?

Take it. Live it. F*** it.

A new drug is out. Everyone is talking about it. The Hit. Take it, and you have one amazing week to live. It's the ultimate high. At the ultimate price.

Adam is tempted. Life is rubbish, his girlfriend's over him, his brother's gone. So what's he got to lose? Everything, as it turns out. It's up to his girlfriend, Lizzie, to show him... 

My review

The hit was an interesting dystopian novel set in a believable, if extreme, future England on the cusp of a revolution.
Although I really enjoyed the book, I have to admit, most of the time I found lead character Adam to be pretty obnoxious and annoying which made it hard to relate to him or feel sorry for him when things were going badly. I didn't find Lizzie to be much better either but I really liked the premise and story, so the book was still easy to get through.
It's a great idea for a book, and while at first thought you might think its crazy, the more I thought about it, the more I realised that if there was a drug like this, people would take it for various reasons and they way the author tackled this is what I liked so much about the book. The general storyline was a bit over the top with some colourful characters but it certainly kept the story going at a fast pace with things constantly moving forward.

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Nail your books (12)

'Nail your books is a feature started by Cristina at The princess of storyland, where we share our book inspired manicures.

I know I've done MetaWars nails before (see here) but these ones are inspired by the cover of the latest in the series, Battle of the immortal.

Here's the cover

And my nails

I used Maybelline 'Winner takes it all,' Rimmel 'Black cab,' and a white Barry M nail art pen. As you can see these are similar to last time, except in black and gold, this time I choose to do a gradient effect but unfortunately it didn't come off very well but I still like it. I also drew the 'Guardians' and 'Millenials' symbols on my thumbs - readers of the books will know what they are - My symbol for the Millenials is a bit wonky because I'm just not that good drawing with my left hand lol but I like the overall result :)
What do you think?

If you like this nail art, please consider checking out my nail art blog Tipsy nail art for lots more nail art designs.

UK vs THE WORLD (70)

UK vs. The world is a weekly meme I made up lol.

It's simlair to UK vs. US except the UK covers are battling it out with their foreign counterparts from all over the world, because who doesn't love judging books by their covers!

UK                               vs                      Australia

The originals by Cat Patrick

Mist: I think its a UK win for me this week, the Aus cover is pretty and reminds me of summer but there isn't much else going on, I really like the shattered effect used on the UK cover, it really makes me curious what the book is about, like it might have a dark edge to it whereas the Aus cover makes it look like a simple beach read.

Ninfa: I really like the UK cover. The shattering effect is brilliant and only if you look closely you realise that the three girls are actually the same. It really makes it interesting and intriguing.
The Aussie cover is pretty, very soft and very different in feel from the UK one, but it lacks in edge for me.
UK win.

Which do you prefer?

This is not a test - Review

This is not a test by Courtney Summers

Available now 

What's it about?

It’s the end of the world. Six students have taken cover in Cortege High but shelter is little comfort when the dead outside won’t stop pounding on the doors. One bite is all it takes to kill a person and bring them back as a monstrous version of their former self. To Sloane Price, that doesn’t sound so bad. Six months ago, her world collapsed and since then, she’s failed to find a reason to keep going. Now seems like the perfect time to give up. As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she’s forced to witness the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actually want to live. But as the days crawl by, the motivations for survival change in startling ways and soon the group’s fate is determined less and less by what’s happening outside and more and more by the unpredictable and violent bids for life—and death—inside. When everything is gone, what do you hold on to?

My review

This is not a test is so much more than just another zombie novel, its as much about Sloane's emotional journey and state of mind. When we start the book Sloane is depressed and resigned to commit suicide, but then the Zombie apocalypse gets in the way and she finds herself holed up in a high school with five other teenagers, but she's still wrestling with her demons and looking for a way out. As the book goes on we learn what's happened to Sloane in the past that's made her feel how she does now, its very much part of the story as the Zombies are and the terror that's come over the world.
I enjoyed This is not a test a lot and really liked getting right into Sloane's head. I know it sounds like it could be depressing, following a character who wants to kill herself but its really not, I felt I understood her to a point and could see why she was struggling. I'd like to have seen more of an ending as it was a bit abrupt but otherwise it was a great book.

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