Book Review : Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

" I stare down at my shoes, watching as a fine layer of ash settles on the worn leather. This is where the bed I shared with my sister, Prim, stood. Over there was the kitchen table. The bricks of the chimney, which collapsed in a charred heap, provide a point of reference for the rest of the house. How else could I orient myself in this sea of gray!"
.
.


It's all back! The drama, the great characters, the relentless pacing and the delicious politics. It's all back with Suzanne Collin's "Mockingjay" -- the 3rd and finally installment in the "Hunger Games" trilogy.


And for those of you who didn't get a chance to re-read the series, don't worry, Collins does a great job in the beginning chapters of firing things up again. She ignited my own sense of loss for those who perished in the last book as well as brought up that old sense of dread -- the indecision of not knowing who to trust; who might be a traitor, or who just might collapse under the pressure.


And then there's love interest, of course. Peeta or Gail. Gail or Peeta.


The book begins with Kat walking through the 12th, observing the damage and wondering what will happen in the future. The rebels still want her for their Mockingjay, but she's still resisting. Because more than any of them she understands what death means, and what war will mean. I won't write more about what happens because I fear reprisals and it will spoil the fun for you.


But know that you won't be disappointed with "Mockingjay". If anything Suzanne Collin's writing has improved. Kudo's to her. This is a well done ending to a well scripted trilogy. Prepare yourself for an emotional roller coaster. :,)

read more "Book Review : Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins"

Book Review: Mistwood by Leah Cypess

Isabel is the Shifter. She is bound to protect the kings of Samorna at all costs. When she is not needed, she resides in her forest, Mistwood. When they need her, she goes to the castle.


When Prince Rokan comes for her in Mistwood, she does not remember why she had left Samorna many years ago. She also doesn't remember how to change forms. Isabel knows the prince needs her to be the Shifter. But she also knows that he is lying to her. The truth can change everything, and Isabel must make a choice.


MISTWOOD is a beautifully written debut novel. Isabel is a confused character who in the end figures everything out. I'm not that big on reading fantasy, but I loved this storyline. I thought the idea of a Shifter was really cool, and the twists and turns in the plot kept me guessing on what was going to happen in the end. I didn't see the *almost* end coming, which always makes a good book even better.


My only problem with the novel was the actual ending. I didn't care for it because it was very abrupt, and it left a cliffhanger. I really wanted to know how things were going to happen, overall a wonderful book :)

read more "Book Review: Mistwood by Leah Cypess"

Dark Readers meet Twilight Stars

Do you think we are kinda stalkers? HAHA. Meeting most of the Twilight Cast takes a lot of Camping, Catching Pneumonia, Sun burn and getting soaked. All this is due to camping in sometimes crazy rain zero temperatures all in Liecester Sqaure, London. This can really take it out of you but at the end of it you know you will get to meet them. We are hitting ET4 (Eternal Twilight 4) this year so stay tuned :)

read more "Dark Readers meet Twilight Stars"

Dark Readers have Angel FEVER!: Angel by L.A.Weatherly

 

Angels are all around us: beautiful, awe-inspiring, irresistible. Ordinary mortals yearn to catch a glimpse of one of these stunning beings and thousands flock to The Church of Angels to feel their healing touch. But what if their potent magnetism isn't what it seems? Willow knows she's different from other girls. And not just because she loves tinkering around with cars. Willow has a gift. She can look into people's futures, know their dreams, their hopes and their regrets, just by touching them. But she has no idea where she gets this power from.Until she meets Alex…

Alex is one of the few who know the truth about angels. He knows Willow's secret and is on a mission to stop her.The dark forces within Willow make her dangerous – and irresistible.In spite of himself, Alex finds he is falling in love with his sworn enemy.

Here At Dark Readers we definitely have Angel fever. We can tell that Angel by L.A.Weathery is going to be one of those books that your not going to be able to put down! why you ask? well you can only read the first chapter before its realise in october!!!HERE Dark Readers have read it and we are HOOKED!! we are so excited for this book and can not wait to read the rest and meet meet L.A.Weatherly in october!


If you like the sound of this book then check out the awesome website for it here HERE or follow them on Twitter!HERE BRING ON THOSE ANGELS :) let them know how excited you are!

read more "Dark Readers have Angel FEVER!: Angel by L.A.Weatherly"

CRESENDO TEASER

Hi, guys here is a teaser from Crescendo, enjoy!!!





"Patch ran his finger under the silver chain at my neck, his touch sending a shiver of pleasure rippling trough me. I love you, he murmured."

read more "CRESENDO TEASER"

Our Trip to the British Library

Wouldn't it be cool to Get a backstage pass to the British library? The library that holds original works of Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Emily Brontë`s desk and a lock of her hair! These are just some of the Amazing things Dark readers got to see and touch! Downfall was we didn't get to take hardly any pictures due to copy right but we have a few we can share.

ur Day started off by travelling to Kings cross (place they filmed Harry Potter BTW XD) it was about 9am because we was warned that there was a lot to see. So once we got there we had to travel all the way down into the basements. In my mind when someone says basements I think stuffy, dark...scary?. These basements were far from that.

They had air-conditioning, Bright lights, machines everywhere and MILLIONS of books and bookshelves it was like heaven XD. We got taken to the most secure part of the library why is it so secure you ask? WELL Shakespeare himself was down there...haha only kidding but his manuscripts and first ever published books of all his plays. Romeo and Juliet! (Particularly excited about that one) Hamlet, Macbeth etc... touching these books was amazing they were so delicate and smelled so old.

We Also got to touch and read Charles Dickens Oliver twist! I couldn't believe my eyes. The first ever published book. So old and frail but yet so amazing!. Hundreds of years old, Millions of pounds and we were there touching and reading them. The high light of the day was Actually touching Emily Brontë`s desk and a lock of her hair! I know I know creepy yes lock of hair but come on this is the women who wrote wuthering heights...I rest my case. (so gutted we couldn't take a picture D: ) Want to hear something cool? All these books where kept in a non Oxygen room basically so no water or anything can ruin them so we had to wait till the room was filled with Oxygen... kinda cool.

Oh another great High light of the day was seeing Kind George the thirds Own library collection. I thought it was just going to be maybe a hundred books or so...oh how wrong I was there was so many I couldn't keep count I really waned to read them and see what he was interested in... our tour guide (one of Dark Readers friends dad) said that they were mostly about religion and Politics... you wouldn't find any paranormal romances... XD.

Dark readers had no idea that to see all this you had to ask so many people and have a pretty good reason to see this stuff. And we just asked our friends dad. It was a dream come true and one we wont forget :)

read more "Our Trip to the British Library"

Kiss Me Deadly: 13 Tales of Paranormal Love Book review

Kiss Me Deadly is a new young adult paranormal romance anthology containing 13 new stories. It is, sort of, the follow up to 'The Eternal Kiss' YA vampire romance anthology that was out last summer. TEK was awesome and completely worth the money, which not all anthos are, and this one had another great line up of authors so I was really looking forward to it.

It is a decent anthology. Lots of different tales, different styles and some interesting romance options. Probably not the best anthology I've read, or rather not the one I've most enjoyed. I actually liked the majority of the stories, but it was more a case of them being great and loving them, or not thinking much of them at all, no real in-between stories. I still think its well worth owning, for the stories from Rachel Vincent, Karen Mahoney and Maggie Stiefvater alone!

The stories in order:
1. The Assassin's Apprentice by Michelle Zink - 8/10 - descendants of angels hunting demons on earth. Nice short, wish it had been longer, liked the characters and the ideas a lot.

2. Errant by Diana Peterfreund - 4/10 - strange story featuring odd unicorns. Not much paranormal love to it, mostly just strange. Just didn't really work for me.

3. The Spirit Jar by Karen Mahoney - 9/10 - Moth, the vampire girl from Karen's short 'Falling To Ash' in TEK, is back and this time in London after a rare book for her maker, and she's not the only one after it. Great short story, I completely love Moth and really hope there is a full book from her POV in the future!

4. Lost by Justine Musk - 9/10 - fantastic short about a girl good at finding lost things, who meets a guy who's not quite human in an abandoned house.

5. The Spy Who Never Grew Up by Sarah Rees Brennan - 5/10 - Peter Pan working for Her Majesty's secret service. Bit strange, but fun as well. Liked it.

6. The Dungeons of Langeais by Becca Fitzpatrick - 5/10 - short set in her Hush, Hush world. An angel, the man tied to him, and the two women who they try to protect. Okay, but nothing great.

7. Behind The Red Door by Caitlin Kittredge - 5/10 - girl meets ghost who is not as great as first appears. Not bad, but felt quite detached. Wasn't too bothered which way things would go.

8. Hare Moon by Carrie Ryan - 8/10 - focuses on Sister Tabitha from The Forest of Hands and Teeth as a teenager, showing where she came from. Great story explaining how she came to be the way she is. Really liked it.
9. Familiar by Michelle Rowen - 8/10 - a reluctant witch has to pick out a familiar. She chooses a little runt of a kitten, who turns out to be a shifter and not a kitten at all. Fun and sweet. Loved it.

10. Fearless by Rachel Vincent - 9/10 - set in Rachel's Soul Screamers world, this story introduces us to Sabine Campbell, in a short set before the SS series begins. Sabine is a mara, someone who feeds off of nightmares to survive, but finds herself somewhere that's oddly empty of them. Really great short and I love Sabine. Looking forward to seeing more of her in SS #4 My Soul To Steal (out Jan 1st 2011), even if she and Kaylee are going to be enemies.

11. Vermillion by Daniel Marks - 4/10 - ghosts causing chaos, or not causing it. Basic idea was fine, but I didn't like the main character. The girl was just too volatile, going from calm happy to enraged too quickly and she wasn't too smart either, though she was meant to be. Could have been better.

12. The Hounds of Ulster by Maggie Stiefvater - 9/10 - beautiful, sad tale of two best friends and the fey girl who comes between them. Wish it had been longer! Loved the characters and the story and would have loved more about all of it.

13. Many Happy Returns by Daniel Waters - 8/10 - very sad tale of a father hoping, wishing, his daughter will rise again as a zombie after she and her boyfriend, and other friends, are killed in a car accident. Not often a zombie fan, but like the ideas and it's enough for me to look in to his Generation Dead series which is the same world as this short.

Overall, 7/10 worth reading!

Written by Claire :)

read more "Kiss Me Deadly: 13 Tales of Paranormal Love Book review"

Book Review : If I stay by Gayle Forman

One moment Mia has her eyes closed, head leaning against the car window and is listening to classical music on the radio. The next, she is being rushed to hospital having been taken from the wreck of her parents' car. Mia watches as the doctors frantically try to save her life, and as friends and family gather at the hospital.


If I Stay is narrated by Mia as the reader follows her out-of-body experience in the unfolding 24 hours. Mia has to come to terms with what just happened, with how life was before the crash and what might come afterwards. She has no choice, but to make the most difficult decision of all.


The story takes us through not only what Mia is going through, but to flashbacks of her life before the accident. We get to know her Mom, Dad and little brother Teddy, as well as her best friend Kim, boyfriend Adam and family friends Henry and Willow. Before the accident her toughest choice was whether she could leave Adam to go to Julliard to play the cello, but now she has the most difficult choice of all to make.


Music envelopes this story. Beethoven's Cello Sonata no. 3 is playing at the time of the accident. Mia plays the cello, in fact she plays it very well (well enough to audition for Julliard, at least!). Her boyfriend Adam is in a band and her Dad used to be. The whole book seems to have a soundtrack running through it.


This is an emotional read. I had tears in my eyes or streaming down my face at least 3 times during this story. You can only begin to imagine the heartache Mia must be going through and pray that this never happens to you or your friends & family.


It isn't just about the accident and the choice Mia has to make. If I Stay also has a love story running through it. After all, what is life without love? The book isn't all sadness... There's laughter, hope and joy too.


At the end of the book, we get "The Story Behind The Story", "Behind The Music", as well as an interesting interview with Gayle Forman, the author.


This is a well-written, good read and a real page turner. I was compelled to keep reading. GREAT READ!

read more "Book Review : If I stay by Gayle Forman"

Book Review : Sunshine by Robin Mckinley

I am having trouble reviewing this novel, as I am sure other people also have. It is not the premise, nor the characters, or even the plot line that makes it a difficult read, but rather other elements of the story make me a little...aprehensive with regards to this review.


The review will contail 'spoiler's from here on.


The story starts off with a spunky, rather normal heroine by the name of Rae. She is twenty-something year old baker who got her high school deploma and then decided not to pursue a caree in education. She loves her job and has a boyfriend of four years, Mel, whome the reader knows nothing about.


We find out later that she lives in a near future where 'Others'-that is werewolves and ghouls and demons spawn and such inhabit the world. She gets kidnapped by the worst possible Other-Vampire. She gets chained to a wall and finds out her fate is to be dinner to another Vampire, Constantine.


Right, so that's the plot overview. She saves Constantine with her latent Magic power of the Sun, and thus they escape.


I really wanted to like this book, but it felt to me like I had seen this juicy, lovely, mouth-watering sandwich in a bakery; with crisp lettuce, mayonnaise, the best, ripe tomatoes and chicken slices, only to get it and find that the lettuce is wilted, the chicken dry and the mayonnaise out of date. There were so many good-no great- ideas that the author could have developed but she chose not to. Half formed ideas about the Vampires could have been elaborated on. The Voodoo Wars? what did they entail? There was a mention of it here and there but nothing substantial.


Another thing that really annoyed me was the pages and pages and mind-numbingly boring pages of exposition. Someone would ask Rae a question and she would go off on a tangent, talking about something or another for pages before answering the actual question-whereby the reader would have had to go back pages just to see what the answer acutally meant. It was like a huge info dump and the readers-ergo me- did not appreciate it. Especially when in the middle of a crucial fight scene or emotional scene-when she would go off I had to skip pages just to see what the outcome of the situation was. While info dump is not bad, it is VERY VERY BAD when done in the midst of things. For example, she was kidnapped by Vampires and we didn't find out how she actually reacted until after FIVE FREAKING PAGES of exposition. That was much.


The only thing that redeemed this book for me was Constantine. The author created him perfectly. He isn't the normal, muscle-bound beautiful, arrogant sadistic vampire we see in modern fiction and I loved that. I also loved how she described her Vampires; they were shying away from the conventions of their species and that was my favourite thing about the novel; gone are the seductive men of power and in its presence is a dangerous, inhuman species of something completely not human. She managed to convey these creatures just as they are; monsters. Even Constantine was alien and that was what gave the novel substance.


I am so disappointed because this novel could have been so much more. It could have been one of the best and most original work of fantasy literature out there. But, she failed, although not totally. I still keep this book as one of my favourites, and although there are many flaws, I still like what she did with such a predictable genre. My final thoughts are uncertain. Did I like this book? Yes, most definitely. Was it something awe-inspiring? Elements of it, yes, but on the whole, no.

read more "Book Review : Sunshine by Robin Mckinley"

Kiss Me Deadly out in the UK today!!!

Yes! This is What the Dark Readers in the UK have been waiting for!! we have needed a new Patch fix for quite a while now! not only is there a story involving Patch in this book BUT many other paranormal love stories. Its full of dark seduction and modern romance, this short story collection presents a variety of talented voices sure to satisfy every werewolf, ghost, fallen angel, zombie, and shape-shifter’s dark desires!

Excited? get down to your nearest bookstore!! I know we are XD

read more "Kiss Me Deadly out in the UK today!!!"

What`s on Dark Readers Reading List?: The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff

Mackie Doyle seems like everyone else in the perfect little town of Gentry, but he is living with a fatal secret - he is a Replacement, left in the cr ...more Mackie Doyle seems like everyone else in the perfect little town of Gentry, but he is living with a fatal secret - he is a Replacement, left in the crib of a human baby sixteen years ago. Now the creatures under the hill want him back, and Mackie must decide where he really belongs and what he really wants.

A month ago, Mackie might have told them to buzz off. But now, with a budding relationship with tough, wounded, beautiful Tate, Mackie has too much to lose. Will love finally make him worthy of the human world?

read more "What`s on Dark Readers Reading List?: The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff"

Dark Readers Reading List: The Bleeders by Michaela Haze

The Bleeders: Sophia Taylor knew that her life had gotten pretty surreal when she woke up on her sofa, bleeding from the head, with her boyfriend Henry smoking her cheap cigarettes (which he never hesitated to complain about before).

Why was this surreal?

1- Because she was only bleeding because he had effectively pushed her down the stairs.

2- He, being Henry Blaire, her boyfriend, but also the man that she had paid ten thousand pounds to murder the two killers of her sister Alison.

3- Henry was smoking all of her cigarettes because she was bleeding from the head.

4- Which would have been so bad if Henry wasn't an incubus with an addiction to human blood and killing the scum of the earth to get it.

There, Sophia's secret. And all she used to worry about was a double shift at the bar and when her cupboard at home was running low on vodka and peanuts.

My novel THE BLEEDERS comes out at the beginning of august at amazon.com!

read more "Dark Readers Reading List: The Bleeders by Michaela Haze"

Just a lil note from Katie :)

Hey Guys!

Just thought I'd stop by and say Hey to everyone! Welcome to our Blog :) hope you like it as much as do and I'm really happy to be a part of it! I haven't had a chance to post any of my reviews yet, but isn't Casey doing a wonderful job?? Well I've just about finished reading Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater so once i get a moment I'll let you guys know what i thought...and don't worry it's all good!

So before I go i just want to say - take a look around the blog and let us know what you think and don't forget to enter our competition...it's just a taste of whats to come :)

If you're on Twitter follow us at https://twitter.com/DarkReaders
and if you want you can follow me on http://twitter.com/KP8701

Talk to you all soon!!
Love yaz!
Katie :) xxx

read more "Just a lil note from Katie :)"

Dark Flame Alyson Noel Book Review

In Alyson Noel's fourth book in the popular Immortals Series, protagonist Ever Bloom delves deeper into the magick left off in Shadowland. In an attempt to find a future for her relationship with Damen something goes terribly wrong and she ends up bound to Roman, her immortal enemy. Now all she can think about is him, his heartbeat, being near him...In a panic to solve the spell, Ever is lost, the one person who may be able to help her is the one person she can never tell...and she turns to Jude...
But that's not all she has to worry about, Haven, her newly turned Immortal friend, who is drunk on her powers and threatens to expose their Immortal existence, not to mention her closeness to Roman...

Once again, Alyson Noel delivers in fine form, a riveting, enchanting and addictive novel. The writing is beautiful and the storyline is never dull. That is what is so great about her as an author, it's never what you expect, there is always an exciting twist to keep you guessing. This book is another 'can't put down' and leaves you desperate to find out the fate of both Ever and Damen, as they struggle to be together.
I also like that Ever's character is so resilient, she's been through a lot of torment in the books, but she is determined to keep fighting.

This is an excellent sequel to an already high standard of books. It continues the story well and sets the pace for the next instalment. Wonderfully written and powerful, highly recommended to existing Immortals fans and new fans alike - this is one series you won't want to put down!

read more "Dark Flame Alyson Noel Book Review"

Becca Fitzpatrick Teaser for Cresendo!

read more "Becca Fitzpatrick Teaser for Cresendo!"

Heading to Eternal Twilight 4!!

So if you dont know what Eternal Twilight is..its a Convention in the UK that bring Twilight Fans together and meet some of the cast from the movies. Casey, Dannie, hayley and Catherine will be attending! The Cast that are attending are:

- Peter Fachinelli who plays Dr Carlise Cullen
- Alex Meraz who plays Paul
- Boo Boo Stewart who plays Seth
- Cameron Bright who plays Alec
- Jodie Ferland who plays Bree Tanner
- Kristen prout who plays Lucy
- Leah Gibson who plays Nettie

The reason why I am telling you all this Is because three amazing authors are going to be at the convention to doing a signing!. You may have heard of them...these are the books they have written




Once we meet these authors we will at least have one of these books signed and ready for a compertition so keep an eye out! we will announce one soon :)

Also if you want to buy a ticket you can here http://massiveevents.co.uk/eternaltwilight/

Follow us on twitter to get updates from the day

https://twitter.com/caseydavoren
https://twitter.com/ukaduka
https://twitter.com/Catttharrison
https://twitter.com/keogirl

read more "Heading to Eternal Twilight 4!!"

Cassandra Clares Big announcement!

 

So heres what the Fantastic author had to say!

"City of Fallen Angels is not going to be the last book in the Mortal Instruments series. After it publishes next April, it will be followed by two more books: City of Lost Souls, and City of Heavenly Fire. The two new books under contract--City of Lost Souls and City of Heavenly Fire--are scheduled, respectively, for May 2012 and September 2013."

:O Shocked? Happy? Excited? ALL THREE?!?! This is amazing news for us Mortal Instruments fans out there! 3 more books to come! Lets hope Jace is still his Hot Sarcastic self! huh? XD

read more "Cassandra Clares Big announcement!"

Fallen Book Review

  ll her life Lucinda Price has seen the shadows, dark shapes that boil up out of nowhere and fill her with fear. Yet as frightening as these shadows are, it isn't until the summer before her seventeenth birthday that things take a sinister turn.
As a result she is sent to the Sword and Cross reform school. Yet before her first day is through she's made two possible friends - Arriane and Penn - spotted two hot guys - Cam and Daniel - got in her first fight, earned her first detention and been given a new nickame: Meat Loaf.
Can anyone blame a girl for wanting to go home? But the longer she stays, the more intriguing things get. There are mysteries at Sword and Cross, and not all of them lie beneath the surface.
The first of the Fallen series has a very slow build-up, mostly because the big mystery Luce is working towards is made obvious by the title, the back cover blurb and the prologue. Not that Luce could be blamed for not figuring it out sooner. Prepare for a lot of weird decisions and angsting along the way, before she finds the truth. However, the set-up of Sword and Cross is convincingly depressing, while Luce's fellow students are by turns crazy, intimidating and intriguing. It would just be nice if things happened a little quicker.
As a main character Luce is mostly bewildered, and at times annoyingly feeble (her interactions with Cam in particular). Luckily Penn is far more proactive, jabbing her into interesting situations, while Arriane's appearances are always curious. Daniel's hot and cold behaviour does drag a bit, but it's understandable as things progress.

And they do, finally, though Luce's POV does limit both the understanding and the action. For me she was too weak to tell the whole story, so a break in POV (to almost anyone else) would have made things go much quicker, and more smoothly.
Despite the slow pace, and occasional dimness of Luce, this is still a pleasantly readable tale, laying the foundations for what could be a really good series. (I amused myself in the slow parts by trying to identify who might turn out to be what). And angels make a nice change from vampires. It'll be interesting to see what happens in the next, but for now too much build up, not enough action.

read more "Fallen Book Review"

Review Policy

I  accept books from authors or publishers for review. I prefer paperbacks and hardbacks rather than audio books or e-book formats, but I maybe sometimes will make an exception. I mostly read young adult, or teenage books,I enjoy reading romance, supernatural/paranormal, fantasy, adventure, mystery and thriller novel.

My reviews consist of the book cover and the description written at the back or inside cover of the book (from Amazon or Goodreads), as well as the amount of pages, author and publisher My reviews tend to include my honest opinion of the story and I won't go out of my way to be harsh; I will ensure that it is fair and base.

Usually I can get through around three-five books per week, and I will try my best to post the review as soon as possible (on average, within a week of finishing the book). If you have a specific review deadline, please let me know at least one week before the required date and I will get back to you asap.

For any other information or questions, please feel free to email me at:
Darkreads18@yahoo.com

read more "Review Policy"