TV Heaven: Friday Night Lights

I may have mentioned before that I watch a bit of TV. In the collection of shows that I love I have a few that I will come back to time and time again. Some of these shows have now finished (or have been cancelled - sob) however I want to share them with you and let you know why I think they are the best.

Note: My lovely friend Jayne recently asked me to suggest some shows for her and her husband to watch and I devised some handy descriptive categories to give her an overview which I will use.

So I had some friends over for dinner the other night and while I was cooking (before they arrived) I decided to put some Friday Night Lights on the TV. When the girls turned up I was hurt that they had to ask what I was watching and neither of them had ever seen any Friday Night Lights, and didn't even know about it! What is this world coming to? Have I been spending too much time on Forever Young Adult and agreeing with their assessments of both Coach Taylor and Tami Taylor and daydreaming about living in Dillon, Texas? So y'all without further delay...

Friday Night Lights

Genre: Sports Drama (But it's so not about the sports!)

Girly: Not especially

Set in High School: Yes

Hot Guys: Yes (There is someone for every taste. Hello Coach Taylor)

Mystery of the week format: No

Currently running: No (There are 5 glorious seasons)

Status: Amazing, I wish it had gone on forever.

When was it on: 2006 - 2011

Why you should watch it:
Primarily this revolves around the Dillon Panthers. This is the high school football team in the town of Dillon Texas. BUT IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT FOOTBALL!! This series starts with Coach Eric Taylor becoming head coach of the Dillon Panthers and how this affects his family and the town itself. Coach Taylor and his lovely wife Tami Taylor are the central characters that the programme revolves around, and they are amazingly awesome, but with a whole team of football players to follow there is loads going on every episode, with a whole bunch of awesome people.

I may have a major soft spot for the coach and his wife, but I'm not blind to the other amazing characters that get their fair share of screen time. I love every single one of the characters and I felt like I shared their highs and lows as the season progressed. Even if the character is extremely flawed and messing things up left right and centre, I love them.

The whole series to me feels like being welcomed into some really good gossip with a friend who has great hair, drinks loads of wine and either starts or ends every sentence with y'all! (I really miss Tami Taylor!)


Who You May Know:
Coach Eric Taylor (Kyle Chandler) - Oh how I wish I was Coach Taylor's wife. Coach Taylor is the High School football Coach in Dillon, Texas, a town obsessed by football. He is an amazing character who manages to navigate the politics of the boosters and at the same time be the father figure that some of his players need. He is an amazing man and I worship him! Also, did you all see how great he was in Grey's Anatomy?

Tami Taylor (Connie Britton) - Tami is Coach Talor's wife, which is a job in itself. Tami has to lean to navigate the responsibilities put on her in this role. Later on in the series Tami becomes the school counsellor, which she is perfect for. This is the start of her finding her own path and we begin to see later on that she just wants to be her own woman. We are behind you Tami! Most recently she has been singing her heart out as Rayna James on Nashville.

And the rest...
Tim Riggins (Taylor Kitsch) - Tim, bless your heart. You are never going to set the world on fire, but you always have the best intentions. Last I saw of the lovely Tim, he was in a submarine movie I did not go and see!

Jason Street (Scott Porter) - Scott Porter is currently on Hart of Dixie as the lovely George. Anyone who does not love Jason Street is a monster with a heart of stone. One of the richest characters, we follow Jason through the issues he has following on from his accident.

Matt Saracen (Zach Gilford) - My sweet Matt. He is the reason I fell so hard for Friday Night Lights. He is pure and sweet and I love him. I think he was recently in The Mob Doctor. I did not love that!

Lyla Garrity (Minka Kelly) - The goody goody of the bunch, Lyla just wants to grow up to be the wife of the star football player. I clapped for glee in the cinema while I was watching 500 Days Of Summer and she came on at the end. I also enjoy her instagram presence!

Tyra Collette (Adrianne Palicki) - I am sad that Adrianne's version of Wonder Woman never took off as I would have watched it no matter how rubbish it was. Tyra was amazing. What she lacked in money or class, she made up for in attitude. I would have been so scared of Tyra while I was at school, but as an adult I am in awe.

So what are you waiting for?

Review: Across The Universe by Beth Revis

Title: Across the Universe
Author: Beth Revis
Published: 11th January 2011
Publisher: Razorbill
Series: Across the Universe #1
Source: Kindle Copy

Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.

Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone - one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship - tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.

Now, Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming. - From Goodreads

In my experience it tends to be a bit hit and miss with sci-fi books. I either love them or I hate them and give up halfway through the book because I am totally lost. I love a bit of sci-fi when it is done well and I have always had a bit of a fascination with space, so I was hoping that this book would tick all the boxes for me. It did! It was definitely a sci-fi book, being set on a spacecraft, but it did not push reality too far.

Amy and her family are being frozen as cargo on the Spaceship Godspeed. The plan is to awaken in 300 years when they land on a new planet. A problem comes when Amy wakes with 50 years left on her journey. Soon Amy begins to realise that it was no mistake she woke early and things are not as they seem on the ship Godspeed.

I really liked all the main characters in this book, including doc. I was clear to see that Amy was struggling to hold herself together in this new life, but that she was a strong character and really enjoyable to read. I thought all of the other characters such as Harley and Orion were interesting to read and kept me on my toes.

Beth Revis created an amazing world on board the Godspeed. This amazing world was described enough to give me a very clear picture of what was going on in my head as I read. This story kept me reading. I found it really hard to put this book down to eat or go to the bathroom because I had to know what was going to happen next. This was a whole new society built into a spaceship which means that there are new rules and new ways to get things done. This is something I really enjoy and paired with all the twists and turns Amy encountered, this made for a great book.

This is the first in a trilogy, if the next two books manage to keep up the wonder and suspense then I am sure I will speed through them.

Review: The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

Title: The Immortal Rules
Author: Julie Kagawa
Published: 24th April 2012
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Series: Blood of Eden #1
Source: eARC thanks to NetGalley and publisher

In a future world, Vampires reign. Humans are blood cattle. And one girl will search for the key to save humanity.Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten.
Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them. The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked—and given the ultimate choice. Die… or become one of the monsters.
Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad.
Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend—a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike.
But it isn't easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what—and who—is worth dying for. - From Goodreads

I had heard very little about this book and had blown it off as "just another vampire story". The reason I decided to read the book was Julie Kagawa. I have not read the Iron Fey series, it is one of those series I keep meaning to read, but I have heard so many good things about them. So with this series under her belt, I was hoping that Julie Kagawa would bring something different to the genre.

Allie lives in a future where society as we know it has totally broken down. A plague known as Red Lung has killed a massive number of humans, and in the search for a cure rabids were born. Now humans live in Vampire Cities protected from the rabids in walled cities, but there is a cost. Registered humans get food, but are kept as pets and willing blood donors. Allie is unregistered and this means that every day for her has been about surviving. Her whole world is turned on it's head when she is turned into a vampire and sent out to fend for herself.

I like Allie, she is quite a closed off character and at the start of the story when she was scavenging for survival I found her a little difficult to relate to. I began to warm to her, the internal struggles she had while discovering herself as a vampire were well written and made me like her even more. There are a number of other characters in the book that appear and then disappear. I liked Zeke, he made a great counterpart to Allie. All of the characters she encounters on her journey, from a human surviving in New Covington and on to a Vampire searching for Eden, were great. Don't get too attached to anyone though, this is an apocalyptic vampire book after all! 

We are all quite familiar by this point and some of them were beginning to feel really familiar. However the pairing of a broken society run, in the most part, by vampires made an interesting read. The story is a journey and there were a couple of times when the pace felt a little slow, but I always wanted to know what was coming next. The book is split into parts and these felt like they were well defined sections and I really enjoyed the change in tone or feeling that a new section brought.

I really enjoyed this book. The only thing I had a problem with was the cover. From the start we are told that Allie is a short Asian girl, but this does not fit with the girl on the cover. Details like this are a little annoying, how hard would it have been to find a model that looked like the description of Allie? Putting this aside, I will be reading the next book in the series, I need to know where Allie will be going from there!

Review: Spellbound by Cara Lynn Shultz

Title: Spellbound
Author: Cara Lynn Shultz
Published: 21st June 2011
Publisher: HarperTeen
Series: Spellbound #1
Source: Own Kindle Copy

What's a girl to do when meeting The One means she's cursed to die a horrible death?
Life hasn't been easy on sixteen-year-old Emma Connor, so a new start in New York may be just the change she needs. But the posh Upper East Side prep school she has to attend? Not so much. Friendly faces are few and far between, except for one that she's irresistibly drawn to—Brendan Salinger, the guy with the rock-star good looks and the richest kid in school, who might just be her very own white knight.
But even when Brendan inexplicably turns cold, Emma can't stop staring. Ever since she laid eyes on him, strange things have been happening. Streetlamps go out wherever she walks, and Emma's been having the oddest dreams: visions of herself in past lives—visions that warn her to stay away from Brendan. Or else. - From Goodreads

I was not blown away by the cover for this book, and I admit that it took me a while to getting round to reading it and clearing it out of my TBR pile. I picked it up when I received the second in the series from NetGalley! This book was not what I was expecting and in my mind it morphed during my reading of it from a romance to a paranormal romance.

Emma has moved in with her Aunt Christine in New York. After losing both her twin brother and her mother in the space of a year her alcoholic stepfather almost kills her in a car accident. It is at this point that Emma realised that she probably needs to be in a more stable environment. When she starts at the prestigious Upper East side school she meets Brendan, a mysterious guy she can't stop thinking about. As the school year progresses and Emma makes both friends and enemies and finds out that there may be more between her and Brendan than she first thought.

I liked Emma, she is a sweet, funny and strong character who does not dwell on her crappy past. There was the occasional niggle in the back of my mind that if it had been me that lost a twin and my mum that I might be a little more upset, but Emma just gets on with her life. Emma has a quick wit, that I often wish I had myself, coming back with brilliant one liners that often made her extra enemies. Brendan to me felt a little two dimensional. I don't think we get a good sense of Brandon and to an extent he feels a bit like an add on character. Now this is not to say that I did not thoroughly enjoy the scenes with him and Emma, I did, I just wish we knew more about him!

The rest of the characters were your standard characters for a YA paranormal romance. We had the cool and kooky aunt; the sweet and goofy younger cousin; the gay best friend; the bitchy blonde mean girl; the witchy best friend; and the douchey jock! Even though these characters were nothing new and we have seen them in books a thousand times before I liked reading them and thought they added to the story to make it richer and more enjoyable.

The story itself was a star crossed lovers type of story with a centuries old curse which would cause Emma's death if Emma and Brendan were together (not like that, just together! Tut-tut!). There was flash backs to the origin of the curse, for me this lasted a bit too long and I wanted to get back to the main story and find out what would happen next.

I liked this story. It started out a bit like a contemporary romance as there was practically no paranormal activity until a good way into the book and even then the paranormal takes a back seat to the romance in this story. I would be happy for this story to stop at the end of the book. I don't feel we were left with any cliffhangers, however this is part of a series and even though I feel no need to pick up the next book,  I will to see how the story continues next.

Review: Croak by Gina Damico

Title: Croak
Author: Gina Damico
Published: 20th March 2012
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Series: Croak #1
Source: eArc thanks to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Sixteen-year-old Lex Bartleby has sucker-punched her last classmate. Fed up with her punkish, wild behavior, her parents ship her off to upstate New York to live with her Uncle Mort for the summer, hoping that a few months of dirty farm work will whip her back into shape. But Uncle Mort’s true occupation is much dirtier than that of shoveling manure.

He’s a Grim Reaper. And he’s going to teach her the family business.

Lex quickly assimilates into the peculiar world of Croak, a town populated entirely by reapers who deliver souls from this life to the next. Along with her infuriating yet intriguing partner Driggs and a rockstar crew of fellow Grim apprentices, Lex is soon zapping her Targets like a natural born Killer.

Yet her innate ability morphs into an unchecked desire for justice—or is it vengeance?—whenever she’s forced to Kill a murder victim, craving to stop the attackers before they can strike again. So when people start to die—that is, people who aren’t supposed to be dying, people who have committed grievous crimes against the innocent—Lex’s curiosity is piqued. Her obsession grows as the bodies pile up, and a troubling question begins to swirl through her mind: if she succeeds in tracking down the murderer, will she stop the carnage—or will she ditch Croak and join in? - From Goodreads

I was a massive fan of the Series Dead Like Me and I felt hollow and alone when it finished, not to worry though this new series of books looks like it might just be the ticket to fill the void. I have always thought the idea of being a teen reaper was cool so I was eager to jump right in and get started!!

Lex has become a problem child in the last couple of years. After punching out another pupil at school her parents decide that the best course of action is to send Lex to stay with her uncle Mort to "work on his farm". As soon as Lex arrives in Croak she finds out that her uncle Mort is not really a farmer, but is actually a grim reaper. Soon Lex starts to learn the trade and finally find a place where she fits in, but is what she is doing right and is Lex prepared to stay in Croak indefinitely?

Lexington or Lex for short makes bad decisions and has a very short temper. I really enjoyed this about her, she did not back down from a fight and when it came to dealing with her partner Driggs she held her own. At one point this did result in both of them having a black eye, but I thought this was really funny! I enjoyed Lex as a character and how she interacted with others, that may be because I could be difficult myself as a teen. Driggs was similar to Lex in that he is a headstrong character who often does or says the wrong thing, I thought they complimented each other well and that made for a good read.

The other cast of characters in this book were also complimentary to the story and I liked how they all worked together in this unusual town. The characters I felt we didn't get a chance to know very well were Lex's twin sister and her parents. They always felt like they were on the edge of Lex's life, even during the times she was at home and this made it a little difficult to understand their actions.

I really liked this book and I enjoyed the exploration of the themes of good and evil. When the reapers take a soul and can see a murderer standing by, should the reapers do something or should they just leave the situation. Lex struggles with this concept for the whole book and to what extent she should get involved, but there is always humour to keep the story fun and engaging. Also the details describing the town of Croak were well written with nice details and touches to make the town come alive for me.

I really liked the story in this book and I finished it really quickly. I can't wait to pick up the next in the series and see what happens next for the reapers.

Review: Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead (VA5)

Title: Spirit Bound
Author: Richelle Mead
Publisher: Razorbill
Published: 18th May 2010
Series: Vampire Academy #5
Source: Own Copy

Salvation has its price.
The words stunned Adrian for a moment, but he kept going. "You're lying. What you're describing is impossible. There's no way to save a Strigoi. When they're gone, they're gone. They're dead. Undead. Forever."

Robert's next words weren't directed at Adrian. They were spoken to me. "That which is dead doesn't always stay dead...."

After a long and heartbreaking journey to Dimitri’s birthplace in Siberia, Rose Hathaway has finally returned to St. Vladimir’s—and to her best friend, Lissa Dragomir. It's graduation, and the girls can’t wait for their real lives outside of the Academy’s cold iron gates to finally begin. But even with the intrigue and excitement of court life looming, Rose’s heart still aches for Dimitri. He's out there, somewhere.

She failed to kill him when she had the chance, and now her worst fears are about to come true. Dimitri has tasted her blood, and she knows in her heart that he is hunting her. And if Rose won't join him, he won't rest until he's silenced her...forever.

But Rose can't forget what she learned on her journey—whispers of a magic too impossible and terrifying to comprehend. A magic nextricably tied to Lissa that could hold the answer to all of Rose's prayers, but not without devastating consequences. Now Rose will have to decide what—and who—matters most to her. In the end, is true love really worth the price?

Fall in love with Rose and Dimitri all over again in Spirit Bound, the eagerly awaited fifth novel in Richelle Mead's enthralling Vampire Academy series. - From Goodreads

May contain spoilers from earlier books in the series:

This books was jam packed with action from the first to last page, so much good stuff happens. At the end of the previous book Rose failed to kill Dimitri, as we know when he sent her back her stake, and Rose returned to school. This should feel familiar to us, having Rose back at school, but after everything that has happened to her recently she seems to have lost a little bit of her spark. After Rose passes her Guardian test with flying colours (they have to invent new things to test her on, she is that good!) her, Lissa, Adrian and Christian head to court with school behind them. There they begin to discover things that the shouldn't and life changes drastically for at least one of them.

Using some of the information that Rose found on her journey to find Dimitri in the last book, Rose and Lissa begin to discuss the possibility of using spirit to help those who have been turned into stigoli. Soon the pieces of the puzzle fall into place and before we know it Victor is being dragged back into the story along with his crazy brother and an angry Dimitri. Meanwhile at court we see the vampire politics in full swing while Lissa tries to navigate her way through the issues that come with her being the only surviving member of her family.

Rose feels like a completely different character in this book than at the start of this series. We can really see the transition between the reckless and, in comparison, carefree Rose from the first book and the more responsible and cautious Rose. I also loved watching her relationship with Adrian in this book. I think about half way through this book I became a solid member of Team Adrian. Within this story each of the characters had a significant part to play, and I always like it when everyone weaves into the story to compliment it and add in their own individual element.

Rose was not the only character to show a completely different side to them. I felt that the Lissa we saw in this book was far less annoying and actually brought something to the Lissa-Rose relationship. There is the possibility that I was just feeling forgiving when I read this book but I think that Lissa was becoming her own woman far less needy and dependent on Rose to think of all the ideas and protect her. Don't get me wrong, I still found her irritating, just far less so!

This book was faced paced and crammed from the first to the last page with drama, drama, drama!! This is good as after reading this book you could see that the last book was a much slower pace. I thought the story was exciting and the final cliffhanger left me feeling like I had been punched in the stomach (which someone had warned me about!) and moving right on to the final instalment!! A great series that I will be sad to finish!

Review: Halflings by Heather Burch

Title: Halflings
Author: Heather Burch
Published: 1st February 2012
Publisher: Zondervan Publishing
Series: Halflings #1
Source: eARC thanks to Zondervan and NetGalley

After being inexplicably targeted by an evil intent on harming her at any cost, seventeen-year-old Nikki finds herself under the watchful guardianship of three mysterious young men who call themselves halflings. Sworn to defend her, misfits Mace, Raven, and Vine battle to keep Nikki safe while hiding their deepest secret—and the wings that come with.

A growing attraction between Nikki and two of her protectors presents a whole other danger. While she risks a broken heart, Mace and Raven could lose everything, including their souls. As the mysteries behind the boys’ powers, as well as her role in a scientist’s dark plan, unfold, Nikki is faced with choices that will affect the future of an entire race of heavenly beings, as well as the precarious equilibrium of the earthly world. - From Goodreads

This is the story of Nikki and the half man half angels who have been given a divine mission to protect her. The 3 half man half angels, also known as halflings, are Mace, Raven and Vine. All three of the boys pose as high school students in an attempt to be close to Nikki and keep her safe from some danger both demonic and human.

The halflings in this book are beautiful, Greek god looking, boys and with both Mace and Raven showing an interest in Nikki we have a whole book with the mother of all love triangles! We have Mace who she meets first and who has the sweet and earnest thing going for him, then there is the bad boy type who is Raven. Nikki is torn between the two of them for the whole book which was felt a little forced to me.

There also felt like there was more to Nikki than her just being a mere human. We have a glimpse of what she might be, but the relationship between her parents, another man and the halflings makes it feel like there is far more to Nikki than we get to see. This is not something that is addressed in this novel and it is one of the many threads left hanging with nothing resolved at the end of the book.


By the end of the book I felt that there were a number of plot threads left unanswered with not enough explanations for my liking. I also felt that there was a build up to some kind of grand plot event towards the end of the book that never appears. It feet to me like the whole book was a build up to something and then the book just finishes. I wanted more story and more action. Also it was never very clear who the enemy was in this book. I like a little bit of suspense and mystery, but if I am kept guessing for more than a book I get a little bored.

I think that when the next book in this series is released I will have to have a very light TBR pile for me to pick this up. If I do pick up the next book in this series I will definitely be needing some answers quickly.

Review: Marked (HON1) by P.C. and Kristin Cast

Title: Marked
Author: P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast
Published: 1st May 2007
Publisher: St. Martins Griffin
Series: House of Night #1
Source: Own Copy

The House of Night series is set in a world very much like our own, except in 16-year-old Zoey Redbird's world, vampyres have always existed. In this first book in the series, Zoey enters the House of Night, a school where, after having undergone the Change, she will train to become an adult vampire -- that is, if she makes it through the Change. Not all of those who are chosen do. It's tough to begin a new life, away from her parents and friends, and on top of that, Zoey finds she is no average fledgling. She has been Marked as special by the vampyre Goddess, Nyx. But she is not the only fledgling at the House of Night with special powers. When she discovers that the leader of the Dark Daughters, the school's most elite club, is misusing her Goddess-given gifts, Zoey must look deep within herself for the courage to embrace her destiny--with a little help from her new vampyre friends. - From Goodreads

So this is a series that I am well behind in picking up on. I am not sure why it took me so long to pick this book up because a few years ago I borrowed Divine By Mistake from my local library and loved it. I had seen these books in the bookshop and had read the back, but it took for someone to actually tell me to read them before I finally bought Marked.

We meet 16 year old Zoey on the day that she is marked. A Tracker comes into her school and announces this to her in front of her best friend, and that is essentially the end of her life as a human! Once the mark appears on a human they only have a limited amount of time to get to the House of Night before "the change" happens. When Zoey makes it to the House of Night she is immediately thrown into the life there and has to find her place even though it is obvious that she is not like the other fledglings.

I loved this series right away. From the start we realise that this is not a world like our own, humans are aware that vampires co-exist with them. As soon as Zoey is marked while she is standing beside her human best friend it seems like all of the humans treat her as if she is an outsider and shun her. Her uber-religious parents think that they can "save" her with a prayer circle. Zoey turns to her grandmother, who is one of my favourite characters in the book, and who helps her with her transition to the House of Night. Zoey is a loveable character from the start who seems a little cynical, but who is genuinely a nice person who you would love to have on your side!

I really liked the other characters in the book, Stevie-Rae, The "Twins", Damien, Eric and even Aphrodite. There is an ease to the dialogue when Zoey and her friends are talking which makes the speech flow and feel very natural. As for the mean girls at school, who are fondly known as the Hags from hell, some of the back and forth between them and the twins made me chuckle out loud (I do love a catty comment!).

Oh and I can't finish my thoughts on this without mentioning how hot, hot, hot Eric Night is - mmmm, yummy! Caught at the beginning of the book in a compromising situation this stud muffin is the perfect hunk of a man for all of the females in the book to drool over!!

This was a great book with a plot line that kept going right to the last page keeping you interested and engaged. I thought the final few chapters were great and left me wanting to pick up the next book to see what was going on. I know I am going to love this series and I can't wait to catch up with everyone else so I can talk about these books without being scared that I will stumble over spoilers!

Review: Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

Title: Hush, Hush
Author: Becca Fitzpatrick
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Published: 13th October 2009
Series: Hush, Hush #1
Source: Own Kindle Copy

For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her...until Patch comes along.
With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment, but after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is far more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.
For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life. - From Goodreads

There seems to have been a rash of books revolving around angels released lately. This combined with reading Hush, Hush a few months ago, and reading other angel books after it, meant that when I sat down to type my thoughts I had no idea what had happened in this book. As luck would have it I had a couple of Audible credit's in my account so decided that this would be a great purchase and would not impact on my reading time as I could listen to it while driving, walking to work... Oh am I glad I did this, and how could I have forgotten? It all came flooding back to me.

Nora lives a fairly quiet life with her best friend and her biggest decision will be to decide between the ivy league schools she is set to be accepted to. Then one day in class all the seats get moved around sitting Nora beside Patch. Dark and mysterious, Patch seems to know everything about Nora, but she knows nothing about him except that she can't stop thinking about him.This story was full of suspense, romance, danger and fallen angels.

I liked Nora. I could relate to her and unlike other female characters Nora tends to over think situations instead of under thinking them! This tends to mean she does not jump to ridiculous conclusions (or sometimes any conclusions). And then can we talk about Patch? At the start I think he seems like, as we say in the UK, a total Dick! It took me a while to warm to patch, but as soon as I did I think I fell in love!! Patch can save me from danger any day of the week! I'm not completely blind to Patch being a tad over protective, but I'm willing to overlook that.

There were a couple of points to this story which I felt were cleverly tidied up at the end with a, without giving away to much, "all of those reasons was because..." which perhaps felt a little contrived. Another point that stuck in my mind was that at the start of the book Nora talks about how they are best friends who are an extension of each other. Even as an outsider I thought some of V's behaviour was a bit off, why did Nora not notice? Does V usually act shady?

In a way I am happy that it has taken me so long to get round to doing this review as I can now swiftly move on to Crescendo and the Silence, and by the time I have finished those two books and reviewing them the final chapter of this story will probably be close to publication!! I can't wait to read the next books.

Review: Private by Kate Brian

Title: Private
Author: Kate Brian
Published: 5th February 2007
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Childrens Books
Series: Private #1
Source: Own Copy

Tradition, Honor, Excellence...and secrets so dark they're almost invisible Fifteen-year-old Reed Brennan wins a scholarship to Easton Academy -- the golden ticket away from her pill-popping mother and run-of-the-mill suburban life. But when she arrives on the beautiful, tradition-steeped campus of Easton, everyone is just a bit more sophisticated, a bit more gorgeous, and a lot wealthier than she ever thought possible. Reed realizes that even though she has been accepted to Easton, Easton has not accepted her. She feels like she's on the outside, looking in.
Until she meets the Billings Girls.
They are the most beautiful, intelligent, and intensely confident girls on campus. And they know it. They hold all the power in a world where power is fleeting but means everything. Reed vows to do whatever it takes to be accepted into their inner circle.
Reed uses every part of herself -- the good, the bad, the beautiful -- to get closer to the Billings Girls. She quickly discovers that inside their secret parties and mountains of attitude, hanging in their designer clothing-packed closets the Billings Girls have skeletons. And they'll do anything to keep their secrets private. - From Goodreads

So it is no secret that I love a good story set in a privileged school, and let face it there are masses to choose from, all with their own unique take and spin. So I was incredibly excited to read  this book even if there was not a sniff of super powers or any other particular twist over and above, small town girl moves to a posh school. Also there are 14 books so far in this series so I thought it must be a good series to have so many. If this is the case then I think I am missing something.

Reed Brennan was a straight A student in her old school which helped her to get a scholarship to Easton Academy. At the Easton Academy Reed does not excel the same way she used to and quickly begins to struggle with the work. Not long after arriving Reed notices a group of girls across  from her room window. These girls are smart and beautiful and the creme de la creme of the school. They are the Billings Girls. Slowly Reed tries to get closer to the group and integrate herself into the group.

I had some issues with the main character. I thought Reed was incredibly annoying that she let Noelle, the leader of the Billings girls continue to call her "glass licker" for the whole book. I am a fairly laid back girl and my friends and I have ridiculous nicknames for each other, but even I would have cracked with that and stood up to ---. I also thought that some of the stunts she was asked to do (namely the one where she has to break into school and risks expulsion if caught) were beyond risky. When she finally does stand up to the girls it felt  to me like too little too late!

I thought that the character of Noelle, and her group of friends, were the most interesting. Noelle may have been nasty and mean, but when she demanded something, no matter how over the top, she stuck by it and followed through. Also we were treated to seeing a softer side of her at times which was a refreshing contrast. When there was no one to play up to she could be nice, and she respected her friends for standing up to her. Also in my head she looked and sounded exactly like the actress who plays Faye in the TV series of the Secret Circle.

I found there was very little to this book and actually read it in a couple of hours. I thought there was little story to this book, most of it was centred around Thomas. It could just have been that the book was setting the scene for the rest of the series and I will read the next few books to see if there is a sizzling story buried in there somewhere.

Review: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Title: Mockingjay
Author: Suzanne Collins
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Published: 24th August 2010
Series: The Hunger Games #3
Source: Own Kindle Copy

Warning: Synopsis and Review Contain Spoilers For Hunger Games #1 and #2.

Young Katniss Everdeen has survived the dreaded Hunger Games not once, but twice, but even now she can find no relief. In fact, the dangers seem to be escalating: President Snow has declared an all-out war on Katniss, her family, her friends, and all the oppressed people of District 12. The thrill-packed final instalment of Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy will keep young hearts pounding. - From Goodreads

I am constantly telling people they should read this book. The one thing I struggle with is trying to convey to them just how amazing the story is. Whenever someone asks what the story is about I either give them With the all the love I had for The Hunger Games and Catching Fire still running through me, I quickly moved on to Mockingjay.

Right away I thought there was a different feeling to this book. There was a different kind of tension running through the story. We pick up about an hour after the end of Catching Fire and the action starts right away. This book stays away from hunger games and focuses on the aftermath from the end of book 2 and how it changes the districts. By the way did I mention that I went to The Capitol and I was registered to District 1. Here's my id -

I think we saw a different side to Katniss in this book. She seemed to step up to the plate in the first book and sulk in reluctance in the second book. In this book she seemed to just want to pretend that she is not a pivotal figure and focus on her own worries, namely Peeta. Oh Peeta, his part to this story made my heart break and I wanted nothing more than for everything to be back to normal!!

This had to be my least favourite of the 3 books due to the political nature of the story and because in a strange way I love the Hunger Games and I missed them. However, for me, the ending to this book made up for no hunger games and left me weeping and heartbroken! I finished this series crying but feeling very satisfied.

I can't wait to see these films, I will be first in the queue. I say again to anyone who has not picked up any of these books yet, what are you waiting for go and get them now and start reading the minute you get home. I know I will be giving a few sets of these books to people for their Christmas, lucky them!!

Review: The Witches of the East by Melissa de la Cruz

Title: The Wiches of the East
Author: Melissa de la Cruz
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
Published: 21st June 2011
Series: The Beauchamp Family #1
Source: Copy Borrowed from AB

Freya, Ingrid and Joanna Beauchamp love their sleepy life in the East Hamptons. A new engagement, promotion at work, a happy home - its all going perfectly. And, to top it off, no one's come close to discovering the secret of what they can really do in hundreds of years. But throw a few accidental love potions in the mix the Beauchamp girls are going to need more than a broomstick to clean up this mess... - From Goodreads

When I saw that this was in a pile of books one of my friends was lending me I was excited because I had not read any books by Melissa de la Cruz and this would be my first. It took a little looking on Goodreads for me to find out that this is actually the UK title for Witches of the East End which had been on my TBR list for ages, then started my happy dance!

This book is slightly older than the YA books I have been reading recently, but I loved it anyway. In the small town of East Hampton Freya, Ingrid and Joanna Beauchamp (even their family name is great!!) try to live a normal magic free life. Over the course of the book however the sisters Freya and Ingrid start to use magic more and more. Before we know it the police are looking for a scapegoat to some crimes and the fingers are beginning to point to the sisters.

This book was atmospheric and took a while to describe the town and the people who lived there. We are pulled into this small town and the rich descriptions bathes us in a feeling that we are actually there. This also gave some depth to the characters and allowed us a proper glimpse into how they lived their lives without magic. I really liked Ingrid as a character, even though she is the more sensible of the two characters in life, she is the one who is more willing to break the rules.

What I liked the best about this book was the mythology behind the Beauchamp Family, what happens when one of the sisters dies or is killed, where they came from and why they can't use their magic. I thought this was all well thought through and left me wanting to know much more. I wish this book had looked at this for longer, but it did not really come in until the end of the book, presumably as a build up to the next in the series.

I really enjoyed this book. It took a little while to get into the meat of the story as there was a lot of setting the scene going on at the start. Once I was into it though I found it hugely entertaining and I did not want to put it down. I wanted to know more about the witches and their history, so I will definitely be picking up book 2 (also because the cliff hanger at the end has left me with many more questions!!).

Review: Hunting Lila by Sarah Alderson

Title: Hunting Lila
Author: Sarah Alderson
Published: 4th August 2011
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Childrens Books
Series: Hunting Lila #1
Source: Own Copy

17-year-old Lila has two secrets she's prepared to take to the grave. The first is that she can move things just by looking at them. The second is that she's been in love with her brother's best friend, Alex, since forever. Or thereabouts.After a mugging on the streets of South London goes horribly wrong and exposes her unique ability, Lila decides to run to the only people she can trust - her brother and Alex. They live in Southern California where they work for a secret organisation called The Unit, and Lila discovers that the two of them are hunting down the men who murdered her mother five years before. And that they've found them. Trying to uncover the truth of why her mother was killed, and the real remit of The Unit, Lila becomes a pawn in a dangerous game. Struggling to keep her secrets in a world where nothing and no one is quite as they seem, Lila quickly realises that she is not alone - there are others out there just like her - people with special powers -and her mother's killer is one of them... - From Goodreads

I had been so excited to read this book ever since I saw it. The cover is stunning and the synopsis on the back of the book sucked me in. In comparison to some other books I have read recently I think the cover to Hunting Lila sets the tone for this books from the get go. This book is a fun action packed read with a lead character that I can relate to and found to be really fun and quirky!

Super powers? Check! Sweet protective brother? Check! Super hot guy? Check. Action and mystery? Check. This book had everything I wanted. I liked that Lila had this awesome super power to be able to move things with her mind, but she didn't flaunt it and when she uses it in public she freaks out and puts herself on a power ban. For me Lila was the 17 year old I was. She can be quite on the ball and clever at times, but is also a bit lazy when it comes to personal safety and gets distracted thinking about hot boys (or one specific hot boy) every 5 minutes; this is the main reason I didn't get round to finishing much as a teenager!!

The hot boy that Lila is obsessing over is the one she thinks she can never have... the brother's best friend! For me Alex is so worth daydreaming over, and in the story it actually go to the point that I just found it funny. Lila would be in some life threatening situation and would be worrying about dying, until she catches Alex's eye, then it's all about the precise shade and getting lost in them. All this time you are thinking "come on move you are going to die!!" Don't get me wrong I absolutely get it. Alex is described perfectly in a way that makes you swoon and wish he was real. I say day dream away Lila.

The characters in this were just right with the protective brother, the hesitant-because-he-is-older love interest and the super-sweet potential sister-in-law. Not to mention a whole cast of characters introduced towards the end of the book who were fascinating. They all added to the story to make it rich and exciting.

My one issue with this book was that I found it very difficult to put down! The story was exciting and it made me wish that I didn't have to get up for work in the morning, because then I could just keep reading through the night. The ending to this book left me gobsmacked and wishing that I could read the next book right away. I can't wait to get a copy of this one and I will be pre-ordering it as soon as it is available.

Review - Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: Shiver
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic Inc
Published: 1st August 2009
Series: The Wolves of Mercy Hall #1
Source: Own Copy

Grace and Sam share a kinship so close they could be lovers or siblings. But they also share a problem. When the temperature slips towards freezing, Sam reverts to his wolf identity and must retreat into the woods to protect his pack. He worries that eventually his human side will fade away and he will be left howling alone at the lonely moon. A stirring supernatural teen romance. - From Goodreads

I fell in love with the covers for this series. They are so beautiful that I bought the whole series as actual books (I am so sorry kindle!). I had read a few glowing reviews about these books, I worried that Shiver would not live up to the hype. I should not have spent any time worrying!!

I was sucked right into the story and pulled into the lives of Sam and Grace. When I realised that the story was told from the point of view of two narrators I was put off slightly as I often find that this loses the impact of the story. In this case I found it to be rather helpful. In the first place while Sam is a wolf we are able to experience what he is feeling. At other times we are seeing the story from the point of view from the person we need to understand the motives.

I really enjoyed the story and thought it was charming. The other characters around Sam and Grace were also well written, from Grace's distant parents to the mean girl you love to hate! I have to say that Isobel Culpeper lifted this book for me. I pictured her as the Regina George of the story! I also really liked the character of Beck, Sam's father figure of sorts.

I read this book super fast and never felt there were any dry or slow parts I had to push myself through, but for a paranormal book I thought there was little conflict past the whole human in love with a werewolf who potentially will never shift again. Lots of threads from the story line were left up in the air, which I expected from a trilogy, I just hope it means we will have a bit of action in the next book!! Also I still can't quite get my head around the age thing. Grace was attacked as a child, Sam is one year older than her, he carried her out of the woods after the attack. Does this not mean that he was also a child? Hmmm... I guess it does not really matter!

Looking forward, I can't wait to read the next books in this series and I hope they are just as beautiful!

Review: Blood Promise by Richelle Mead (VA4)

Title: Blood Promise
Author: Richelle Mead
Publisher: Razorbill
Published: 25th August 2009
Series: Vampire Academy #4
Source: Own Kindle Copy

Warning - Synopsis and Review Contain Spoilers!

Rose Hathaway's life will never be the same.

The recent attack on St. Vladimir's Academy devastated the entire Moroi world. Many are dead. And, for the few victims carried off by Strigoi, their fates are even worse. A rare tattoo now adorns Rose's neck, a mark that says she's killed far too many Strigoi to count. But only one victim matters . . . Dimitri Belikov. Rose must now choose one of two very different paths: honoring her life's vow to protect Lissa—her best friend and the last surviving Dragomir princess—or, dropping out of the Academy to strike out on her own and hunt down the man she loves. She'll have to go to the ends of the earth to find Dimitri and keep the promise he begged her to make. But the question is, when the time comes, will he want to be saved?

Now, with everything at stake—and worlds away from St. Vladimir's and her unguarded, vulnerable, and newly rebellious best friend—can Rose find the strength to destroy Dimitri? Or, will she sacrifice herself for a chance at eternal love? - From Goodreads

NOOOO!!!!!!!!!! I practically threw my kindle across the room when I read the end of the third book. Dimitri can't be Strigoi! This was a major shock and I swear I actually cried when it happened. I did not see this coming, how could you do this Richelle?

Well, after the attack on the school by the Strigoi everything was left turned upside down. During the attack in the last book Christian and Rose teamed up to be a badass killing machine, with his elemental use of fire and her awesomeness they worked together to kill loads of Strigoi. Unfortunately they took some victims with them when they retreated. When a team is put together to rescue the captured, there are more casualties with one in particular - Dimitri.

I thought this book had a much different feel from the previous ones. For one Rose and Lissa spend the majority of the books apart from each other. This does not prevent us from knowing what is happening with Lissa as Rose can still go into Rose's head no matter how far apart they are. To me this felt like the beginning of the end concerning my relationship with Lissa. I know she is a princess and i know there were other influences, but come on!! She treats Christian like crap and does not give a second thought to Rose off on her journey. Boo Lissa!! Hiss! I am sure I am not the only one who feels like a break from Lissa is a good thing for Rose!?!

This book is Rose's journey to find Dimitri and follow through on a promise made to each other. We meet a few new characters on this journey, including Sydney. Now unlike Lissa I think Sydney, the alchemist with the cool tattoo, is awesome! Oh and how can I forget Dimitri's family? It made me wish I was a member of the Belikov family, well kind of... except for the whole blood wh*** thing (lets at least pretend to keep it clean here folks!).

Following on from the last book, there were a number of points where I cried throughout Rose's journey (I should have just read the books with a box of tissues within reaching distance). I don't know what it is about the Vampire Academy books, but I am completely sucked into Rose's emotional state. When she is feeling confused and woozy or when she is upset, so am I. The ending of this book left me on the edge of my seat desperate to know what's going to happen next.

Fallen Series Cover Reveal and Sneak Peak

Over the last couple of days I have been seeing a lot of blogs posting the new covers for two books being released, by Lauren Kate, in the Fallen Series. I hang my head in shame when I say that Passion is still sitting in my TBR pile, but the excitement may just move it to the top!

So here goes, I wanted to share the love with you. I have posted the cover for a book of Daniel and Luce love stories called Fallen in Love, the cover for the last book in the fallen series, Rapture, and a link to a chapter sneak peak that Lauren posted on her blog!!! So Exciting *clapping hands with joy*!

Fallen In Love (Fallen #3.5)

Title: Fallen In Love

Author: Lauren Kate

Published: 24th January 2012

Series: Fallen #3.5

Rapture (Fallen #4)

Title: Rapture

Author: Lauren Kate

Published: 12th June 2012

Series: Fallen #4

Finally, as promised, click here to see a link to the "very special sneak peek at Fallen in Love" as posted by Lauren on her blog! Woo Woo!

So how amazing do we think the new covers are? They totally work with the feel for the whole series.

Review: Dead Beautiful by Yvonne Woon

Title: Dead Beautiful
Author: Yvonne Woon
Publisher: Usborne Publishing Ltd
Published: 1st May 2011
Series: Dead Beautiful #1
Source: Own Copy

At Gottfried Academy, just one kiss will take your breath away. After Renee discovers her parents dead in what appears to be a strange double murder, she is sent to Gottfried Academy, a remote and mysterious high school dedicated to philosophy, 'crude sciences', and Latin: the Language of the Dead. Here she meets Dante, a dark and elusive student who harbors a deadly secret, but to whom she feels inexplicably drawn. Despite himself, Dante cannot control his attraction to Renee either and their desires gradually deepen into a complex and dangerous romance. But Dante's not the only one with secrets...Gottfried Academy has a few of its own. When Renee begins to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a former student, she begins to realize just how deadly these secrets are...Dark romance meets haunting murder mystery in this captivating tale of love, death and destiny. - From Goodreads

I think it took me about a month to read the first chapter of this book. I always seemed to pick it up when I was in the wrong mood to read, when I was so tired I could barely finish a page or I would start to read and then get distracted by something else. Once I finally sat down to properly read this book it found it really easy to involved in the story and I managed to finish in a couple of days.

The story begins with Renee finding her parents dead and having to move to the other side of the country to live with her grandfather to promptly sends her to Gottfried Academy. This is a school where no electricity is used, only candles after dark and Latin is the main language studied. Soon after starting the school year she meets Dante. Dante is beautiful, aloof and super cool.

I found the story in this book to be really slow to start. To me it felt like the first half of the book was spent getting to know Renee and her friends; Dante, Eleanor and Nathan, and describing the surroundings. I also felt like the descriptions of Dante only happened a tiny bit at a time. Now I know this was as Renee got to know him, we would get to know him, but to me there were somethings that could have been mentioned earlier.

So once we got into the story and finding out about what is really going on at the school, who is who and what they are doing, I really enjoyed it. I thought the supernatural angle (I'm not going to ruin any surprises) was really interesting, well thought out and has loads going for it. I think if I had to summarise the last half of the book it would take me a while as lots happened. the story had me guessing as I was reading, and trying to predict what would happen, not only in the rest of the book, but the rest of the series.

I can see this being a series I really enjoy as long as the next few books can get right to the action and don't linger too long on reminding us what happened previously. I will defiantly be picking up a copy Life Eternal (Dead Beautiful #2) as soon as it comes out.

Review: Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

Title: Anna Dressed In Blood
Author: Kendare Blake
Published: 30th August 2011
Publisher: Tor Teen
Series: Anna #1

Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead.

So did his father before him, until he was gruesomely murdered by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father's mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead—keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay.
When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn't expect anything outside of the ordinary: track, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he's never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, now stained red and dripping with blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.
But she, for whatever reason, spares Cas's life. - From Goodreads

It has been about 12 hours since I finished reading this book and I am still thinking about it. This book was exactly what I needed to get me back into the habit of reading in my lunch hour and going to bed slightly early to give me more time to read before I turn off my light! It was the perfect balance of spooky, gruesome and fun which made it an amazing read and left me wanting more.

For some reason for the first couple of chapters I had difficulty picturing the main character as a boy. It may just be because I have read so many books recently with female leads and, let's face it, it is more common for the main character to be a female. Once I could wrap my head round Cas being a boy I thought he was a great character and possibly one of the better male leads I have read in a long time. He was smart but still sometimes had trouble piecing together problems, he is charming but without trying to get all of the girls for himself and he is brave but not stupid.

I love the way the other characters in this booked worked as well. Carmel, Will, Mike, Thomas, Cas's Mum and Anna are all well written characters who seemed to come to life in my mind, warts and all. They were all integral to the story, but did not overpower the story lines which is very focused on Cas and how he thinks through and rationalises his decisions.

There was only one thing that did not feel quite right to me. Without giving too much away, something important is taken during the story. Now if I know if someone took something like that from me then I would fight to get it back. I felt that the character had a relaxed attitude to getting it back. To me the actions did not feel to match the words which was a tiny bit frustrating.

So with that little annoyance out of the way I absolutely loved this book. It was just creepy enough and the writing was fluid with an exciting story that kept moving the whole time. Bring on the next book, I'm not sure I can wait until 2012!

Review: Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

Title: Unearthly
Author: Cynthia Hand
Publisher: HarperTeen
Published: 4th January 2011
Series: Unearthly #1
Source: Own Copy

In the beginning, there's a boy standing in the trees . . . .

Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what that is, though, isn't easy.
Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place—and out of place at the same time. Because there's another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side.
As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make—between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?
Unearthly is a moving tale of love and fate, and the struggle between following the rules and following your heart. - From Goodreads

I am fascinated by angels. Some of them are pure and as we have seen in a number of other Angel based books there are also "bad" angels waiting to corrupt our main characters. Part angels or Nephilim are just as fascinating, have you ever seen the Paul Wesley mini series The Fallen? I thought was awesome! (If you have not seen this yet then check it out!!) With the popularity of angels being the main supernatural  increasing at the moment I was surprised to find that Unearthly felt really fresh and new to me. It was not what I was expecting, in a really good way.

For a start the main character is Clara who is struggling to come to terms with the fact she is part angel and has a destiny or purpose to fulfill. Before Clara began to get her visions all she really had to worry about was not being too good at school as being an angel-blood means she is faster, stronger and smarter than a teenage girl should be. Clara's visions start with a handsome boy standing in the woods. From this vision her family (Mum and Brother) move across the country to live where Clara has to be for her vision to take place.

We only find out small details about the vision at a time and the boy who has a starring role in it, Christian. He is not the only handsome man though; there is also the twin brother of Clara's best friend, Tucker. Now to me I felt that the character of Christian was a bit distant and a bit flat and Tucker was definitely the star of the show for me, I am Team Tucker all the way (although I do admit I have a thing for the rugged cowboy)! I think if Christian had been a bit more rounded as a character I would have felt more like there was anguish between the 2 boys.

I liked that a lot of this story was Clara's internal struggle of doing what feels right and what others perceive to be right. There is also a good number of issues left hanging at the end of the book which I am looking forward to finding out about in further books but none of them left me feeling cheated. Too often with books in a series I feel like parts of the story are just left to make you come back, but in this case it felt like there was just so much to know and we would find out in time when it was needed for the story.

I can't wait for the next book in this series, it promises to be amazing.

Review: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Title: Catching Fire
Author: Suzanne Collins
Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.
Published: 1st September 2009
Series: The Hunger Games #2
Source: Own Kindle Copy

WARNING - DESCRIPTION AND REVIEW CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR HUNGER GAMES

Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark won the annual competition described in Hunger Games, but the aftermath leaves these victors with no sense of triumph. Instead, they have become the poster boys for a rebellion that they never planned to lead. That new, unwanted status puts them in the bull's-eye for merciless revenge by The Capitol. Catching Fire maintains the adrenaline rush of Suzanne Collins's series launch. - From Goodreads

My love of Hunger Games saw me transitioning straight from one book right into the next. I absolutely adored the Hunger Games and wanted to clap my hands at the end of the book when Katniss and Peeta won!! Woo Hoo, those two deserved it, they worked hard to survive against the odds and it turns out that their triumph was the spark needed to cause unrest within the Districts.

This book had a slightly different feel to Hunger Games. We already know from the first book what the Hunger Games are about and the power wielded by The Capitol to keep the Districts in line. I thought that the start of Catching Fire felt a little unsettled, almost like it did not know where it was going, however I think we are supposed to feel this way.

Katniss and Peeta are back from the Hunger Games and as you would expect, after surviving against the odds, they are feeling like they don't know their place within the society they have returned to. Quickly though the story returns to the Hunger Games and the environment we are familiar with, not failing to deliver on the suspense we found in the first book.

I can't rave about this series enough and will be forcing my Mum read these as soon as she has the time, along with anyone else who will listen to me about how good they are!! I can't wait for the film to come out!