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Showing posts with label Teen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Teen. Show all posts

Tuesday, 12 June 2012

Rebecca Lim Interview!

I was very lucky to have the lovely author Rebecca Lim answer some questions for us about her Mercy Series, as well as on writing. I am so grateful to her. First, here is a description of Book One in Rebecca's Mercy Series:
Mercy by Rebecca Lim


Mercy ‘wakes’ on a school bus bound for Paradise, a small town where everyone knows everyone else’s business – or thinks they do. But they will never guess the secret Mercy is hiding . . .

As an angel exiled from heaven and doomed to return repeatedly to earth, Mercy is never sure whose life and body she will share each time. And her mind is filled with the desperate pleas of her beloved, Luc, who can only approach her in her dreams.

In Paradise, Mercy meets Ryan, whose sister was kidnapped two years ago and is now presumed dead. When another girl disappears, Mercy and Ryan know they must act before time runs out.

But a host of angels are out for Mercy’s blood and they won’t rest until they find her and punish her – for a crime she doesn’t remember committing . . .


Q&A from Rebecca Lim, author of the Mercy series

Q. How do you feel now that the Mercy series has been completely published?

Relieved! Mentally a bit fried, and a little melancholy. It sounds weird, but I feel like I know Mercy and Ryan and the others, and having to let go of them has been harder than I imagined it would be. But the series panned out and ended the way I wanted it to from the beginning, and I’m happy with it. I hope I did her story justice, and that it was an interesting and unpredictable read.

I always meant for Mercy to be an introduction to her situation, for Exile to bring in the beings who put Mercy in the situation she found herself in, Muse to explore why she fell and for Fury to be about Ryan and Mercy trying to carve out space and time for themselves when everything and everyone begins closing in on them. Hopefully I succeeded.


Q. Will you ever write more on any of the characters in the Mercy series, any possibility of a spin off novel, or a short story? Maybe in Ryan's point of view ;)

If anyone wants to read what I have planned for Gia and Uriel one day, then maybe? Those two characters, in particular, had a habit of taking charge of me and insisting on more air time. Ryan and Mercy would definitely crop up in that story, but I’m not sure yet how interested people might be to read that, and I need time to let Mercy and Ryan’s story just be first.




Q. Is there any routine you have to stick to, or place you have to go to write?

For the most part, I write in a tiny, cramped corner of my kitchen and nobody at my place ever leaves me alone. I have to write in the gaps that my family allows me. I’ve written parts of the series in my car, in cafés, at 4 am in the morning, whenever I can snatch some peace and quiet. I’d love a routine! But, right now, I don’t get one ;)


Q. A question I am dying to know the answer to, when was the moment that Ryan first fell for Mercy? Did he realize it at the time?

I think I had him feeling he was in trouble around the time he shows up at Paradise High searching for Mercy/Carmen to tell her the news that someone else has been snatched. Ryan probably couldn’t have articulated why he headed back to a place he’s been avoiding like the plague specifically to find Mercy/Carmen, but something just made him drop everything to look for her. I actually find writing romance quite hard – you don’t want to teeter over the line between classy and corny, right? – so I never actually have him admitting much for the first three books because what guy usually does declare anything unless pushed?!



Q. Are you working on anything new now? If you are, can you maybe give us a short description or a teaser?

I’m waiting for the green light for a new series that’s a little bit sci-fi, a little bit paranormal. Cross your fingers for me!

Thanks again Sam for reading and supporting the series, and to all readers who have read the books with an open mind and open heart. The series is kind of a love song to the possibilities of love. It’s a huge privilege to have been able to share Mercy’s story with you.


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Thank you so much to Rebecca for answering my questions, all the best wishes to you and good luck in your writing!! I can't wait to read whatever you write next :)


 



If you haven't read Rebecca's Mercy Series, I highly recommend you do! They are, each book, incredible and keep you guessing. I couldn't put them down and you won't be able to either!
You can check out my review of Mercy here


Sunday, 10 June 2012

FATED by Sarah Alderson









Book One in the Fated Trilogy

Publication date: January 5th, 2012
Number of Pages: 320
Date read: June 10th, 2012


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(Description Source: Back cover of book)



IF YOU CAN'T CHOOSE WHO YOU LOVE, HOW DO YOU KNOW WHO TO TRUST?

Lucas Gray is half Shadow Warrior, half human, and a member of the Brotherhood - a group of assassins tasked with killing  the last purebred Hunter on Earth before she can fullfill a dangerous prophecy. That Hunter's name is Evie Tremain.

Evie is seventeen-years-old, a waitress, and has just discoveredshe is the last in a long line of demon slayers - and an unwilling participant in a war between Hunters and Unhumans that has raged for the last thousand years.

When your fate is already determined, can you fight it?

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The reason I picked this book up to read was because it was by Sarah Alderson and I just loved her other book Hunting Lila, and the description sounds so amazing that I just had to check it out. Pair the desription of Fated with the cover and you know it's a book to read.The cover of Fated is absolutely gorgeous and haunting to look at, it really draws you in and it just represents the book so well.
 
Lucas is half Shadow Warrior, half human and has long vowed his revenge against the Hunters and Lucas has been tasked with the job of killing the last purebred Hunter left,  Evie Tremain. Evie Tremain worked as a waitress and had no idea that she was a Hunter, or even that they existed, that is , until one night when she is attacked as she is leaving work.
Evie learns of the legacy that's been left to her, while Lucas goes undercover for the Brotherhood in an attempt to get close enough to Evie to accomplish his mission. But what happens when feeling come into play?
 
Fated was an enjoyable to read, Lucas was cute and protective and had to be my favourite character in the whole book. Evie was interesting to read about, though her emotions where a bit too erratic, but her fight scenes were incredibly well writtenand enthralling to read. The plot maitains the readers interest from start to finish with new secrets and information being revealed all throughout Fated and there are plenty of fight scenes to fill any craving for action.
 
I definitely felt that Fated got better the further into it I read and the last few chapters were my favourite, especially those from Lucas's point of view.

There was just enough snark, steaminess and action to leave the reader deesperately wanting more, especially in the steaminess department!


“If we could harness one of your looks Evie, we could probably do away with weapons altogether.”  


I rate Fated Four out of Five!

Thursday, 7 June 2012

Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Fiction, Teen,Sci-fi
Book One in the Lux Series
Published: Nov 29th 2011
Number of Pages:299
Date Read: May 12th 2012
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Starting over sucks.
When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I’d pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring…. until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.
And then he opened his mouth.
Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy.

We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something…unexpected happens.
The hot alien living next door marks me.

You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon’s touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I’m getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades.
If I don’t kill him first, that is.
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When city girl Katy is dragged along to a small town by her mother after the death of her father she is less than impressed. Especially when, after two days of being there she meets her next door neighbors, twins- Daemon and Dee, . Daemon is the type of guy Katy reads about in the books she loves reading- tall, dark and handsome, the classic bad boy with an arrogance like noone else. From the moment Katy meets Daemon's sister off and despite Daemon's foreboding and attempts to keep Katy away from his sister he is soon forced to accept their friendship. As Katy gets to know the twins she realises that everything is not as it seems and the secret being kept from her is one that may cost her her life.

Katy is a likable character that you can easily relate to, with an attitude and personality that will keep you laughing as well as guessing what she could possibly do next. Dee is bright and bubbly and the type of person that you can't help but love! You can hardly believe that she is related to the arrogant, impolite and down right a**hole that is Daemon. Although as Obsidian progresses you get to see that he is cute and vulnerable like everybody else. 

There were plenty of twists and turns to keep even the most avid fantasy/teen romance reader both interested and guessing. I found that when I first picked up Obsidian at first I was a little uncertain about where the story would go and if i'd even enjoy it, but after the first 50 or so pages I was hooked! I definitely recommend this book! 


“Beautiful face. Beautiful body. Horrible attitude. It was the holy trinity of hot boys.”― Jennifer L. Armentrout, Obsidian

I rate Obsidian five out of five stars!!

Monday, 14 May 2012

Evernight by Claudia Gray



Fiction, Teen, Fantasy
Published: Feb 10th 2009
Number of Pages: 327
Date Read: May 2nd 2012 (Reread)
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Bianca wants to escape. 


She's been uprooted from her small hometown and enrolled at Evernight Academy, an eerie Gothic boarding school where the students are somehow too perfect: smart, sleek, and almost predatory. Bianca knows she doesn't fit in. 
Then she meets Lucas. He's not the "Evernight type" either, and he likes it that way. Lucas ignores the rules, stands up to the snobs, and warns Bianca to be careful—even when it comes to caring about him. 
"I couldn't stand it if they took it out on you," he tells Bianca, "and eventually they would." 
But the connection between Bianca and Lucas can't be denied. Bianca will risk anything to be with Lucas, but dark secrets are fated to tear them apart . . . and to make Bianca question everything she's ever believed.
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Bianca is a shy, quiet teenager who has been uprooted from her comfortable small town life, forced to move out of her comfort zone when her parents are offered teaching positions at the intimidating gothic Evernight Academy. In the lead up to the beginning of the school year Bianca spends time exploring her new home, from the creepy gargoyles with haunting faces, to the long abandoned tower rooms and the expansive grounds. Resenting being taken away from the life she enjoyed, Bianca decides to escape Evernight the morning school begins, this is when she runs into the charming and drop dead gorgeous, Lucas, another new student like herself. Despite being timid around new people she takes an immediate liking to him and decides to return to evernight, glad to have one friend to help her get through the school year. However when they next meet, Lucas is distant and very different to how he was when they first met. 


Not all is what it seems at Evernight Academy and as Bianca meets other students like her popular room mate Patrice, scholarship girl Raquel and smourlderingly sexy Balthazar she realises that there is something sinister lurking under the surface. Two distinct social types quickly create a high amount of tension between the students and even the teachers are in on it. What is the secret they're hiding?


Evernight is a fast moving, engrossing book that had me hooked from the first chapter! Claudia Gray created a different supernatural world that I hadn't come accross before. The characters are easy to relate to and witty as well as lovable. I loved the unexpected twists and turns throughout Evernight and didn't want to put it down. I found Lucas to be a gorgeous character that I fell in love with from the first meeting, however as the plot progressed I found myself warming up to Balthazar who turned out to be my favourite character! I enjoyed the creative use of language and the amount of description because it didn't ramble on about unimportant details but kept the world of Evernight real and amazing. 

 “If you loved someone, you couldn’t let lies come between you. No matter what happened—even if you’d already lost each other forever—you owed each other the truth.” 
― Claudia Gray, Evernight

I rate Evernight five out of five stars!!