February in books

It's the last day of February! I always think of February as the worst winter month - it's ages after christmas and it feels like winter will go on forever. There are crocus and daffodil and snowdrop shoots everywhere at the moment although they haven't bloomed yet, but I guess they show that spring is finally coming.

I feel like I should do a kind of roundup post for the end of the month. In February I read a total of 19 books and 2 plays. I reviewed a grand total of 9:

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr
Spiked! by Sandra Glover
Let’s get lost by Sarra Manning
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Looking for jj by Anne Cassidy
The Goldsmith’s daughter by Tanya Landman
The truth about forever by Sarah Dessen
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
Split by a Kiss by Luisa Plaja

All of them are good books but my personal favourites were The Truth about Forever, The Goldsmith’s Daughter and City of Bones.

A few books that I liked but didn’t blog about are:
Book of a thousand days by Shannon Hale
Inside the cage by Matt Whyman
Ithaka by Adele Geras
Midnighters: Blue Moon by Scott Westerfeld

And the books out in March that I really, really want to get my hands on?

Something, Maybe by Elizabeth Scott

I really enjoyed Perfect You and the sample chapter for Something, Maybe has me begging for more!

Furnace: Lockdown by Alexander Gordon Smith

I only heard about Lockdown a few days ago but Liz's review over at My Favourite Books has me interested already.

*Edited to add*

I should probably include Going Too Far here too. It's not available on Amazon UK until April, but the US release date is March 17th. What can I say, look at the beautiful cover! And the sample chapter is pretty cool too.

Series spotlight - Raine series by Lisa Shearin

There are so many good books that have been out in the market for ages. Series Spotlight will be featured every week and is to introduce readers to series they may not have heard of before. Usually, these series will be ongoing, like today’s spotlight – Lisa Shearin’s Raine Benares series.

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OK, first of all, technically these books are Adult fiction. The main character is about 30 (although honestly she seems younger than that – maybe early twenties) and there is some innuendo though it’s not too bad. But there is one thing that will make teens uncomfortable with the first book in this series. That happens to be the honorary teen character. Piaras is cute, interesting, and a great character. But he’s also eighteen. And after a while, Raine’s attempts at protecting him and calling him things like ‘sweetie’ will start to grate with real teens. I mean, how many eighteen year old lads do you know that wouldn’t protest at repeatedly being treated like a kid and called ‘sweetie?’ I don’t know any.
I only mention this because I want you guys to be forewarned. It will probably annoy you. But the thing is that this is only a small grievance and you mustn’t stop reading because of it. Because these books are just so good.

Raine is snarky, sassy, street-smart and downright funny. Other characters are well written, her cheeky pirate cousin Phaelan springs to mind, as do her two rival love interests. Yes that’s right, a love triangle is involved. And while it’s not the main focus of the story it does serve to make Raine’s problems that bit more complicated than they already are. These books have a little bit of most genres in them. Officially they are urban fantasy, but they take place in an invented world. There are also large elements of crime, action, thriller, and comedy to them. Not to mention the romantic subplot.

Magic Lost, Trouble Found
Raine Benares is an elf, a seeker and from the most notorious family of pirates around. Her magical abilities shoot from mediocre to amazing when a friend steals a magic amulet from a sorcerer and the amulet bonds itself to her. Unfortunately, a lot of other people want this amulet and since Raine can’t take it off, they’re searching for her. These people are strong, powerful, and in the Guardian Mychael’s case, pretty good-looking. Raine has to use new allies and old contacts to find out what exactly has attached itself to her and how she can lose it, thereby losing the unwanted attention of most of the most notorious villains around.
There is a whole lot of plot packed in to this book. You have to keep track of loads of characters and motives and the action is really fast-paced. Despite this, it’s light, it’s fun and it’s funny. Raine’s humour shines through. I’ve read bad reviews of this series, but I’ve also found big fans. I guess it’s like the covers – you either love them or you hate them. Personally I love them both.

Armed and Magical
Raine and most of the cast of Magic Lost, Trouble Found head to the Isle of Mid, Mychael’s domain and home of the biggest University for sorcerers. If anyone knows a way to separate Raine from the Saghred, they’ll be somewhere on Mid. However, a small island with the strongest magical talents may not be the safest place for Raine, especially as some of them would like to have her newfound powers themselves. On top of that, students are going missing, Tam and the head of the council hates her and she’s just discovered that the old master of the Saghred who disappeared hundreds of years ago may not be as dead as everyone thinks he is.
The problem of Piaras being treated like a child, as I mentioned above, is much less evident in Armed and Magical. Partly because there’s a whole university full of similar aged students and partly because of the introduction of a great new character – Talon the cool goblin student. I loved this second book. Occasionally I had to stop and try to remember what was going on, but mostly I was just enjoying it. There are some funny scenes in this one too – Mychael walking in on Raine in the bath springs to mind – ladies, this guy is so sweet! The romantic elements develop, we learn more about the characters’ pasts (and they all have secrets), there are missing students to be found, idiot bureaucrat council members to be defied and a new, stronger villain. A great second book.

What’s next?
The Trouble with Demons is out on 28th April 2009:
My name is Raine Benares. I'm a seeker. People hire me when they need something found. I'm not usually the one being sought. But that all changed when I found the Saghred, a soul-stealing stone of unlimited power -- and the bane of my existence. Now mages and madmen have me in their sights, not to mention demons...
An opened Hellgate leads to a demon infestation on the Isle of Mid, and while there's never an ideal time to face down demon hordes, it's hard to imagine a worse one. Already fighting the influence of the Saghred, Raine discovers she is also magically bonded to a dark mage and a white knight, two dangerous and powerful men on opposing sides -- and Raine's stuck in the middle.
But with demons pouring through the Hellgate, Raine can't afford to be distracted. Turns out, the demons want the key to unlock the Saghred. As a seeker, Raine should be able to find it first. As the axis of light and dark powers, she's a magical cataclysm waiting to happen...

I can't wait!

You can visit the author's website, where she has sample chapters for all of the books. You can buy the books here (UK) and here (US).

Book review - Split by a Kiss by Luisa Plaja

Everybody has wondered what would have happened if they did/didn’t do something. Split by a Kiss has the unusual concept of narrating two alternate storylines after a decision main character Jo has to make. Living in America for a year because of her mum’s new job, she has a chance to reinvent herself. At a party, she is given the chance to make out with the most popular guy in the school. From then on the narrative splits into two possible routes. Told from the alternating perspectives of cool Josie, who kissed the popular guy, and nerdy Jo, who didn’t, Split by a Kiss is unique and very clever.

When reading the synopsis for this, I assumed that I would be supposed to support the nerdy Jo. Although they are the same person, ‘Jo’ is the one who didn’t sell out and kiss the guy she didn’t like. Fortunately, it wasn’t like that at all. In both sides of the story, Jo/Josie make big mistakes, and I actually ended up liking ‘Josie’s’ plot more. Wow, that’s very complicated to describe. I kind of knew where the plot was going from the beginning. Certain things happen to both Josie and Jo and these, I rightly assumed, were the important plot parts. However, Jo and Josie reach the end in very different ways. What was especially interesting was that because the two story parts followed similar but not identical time-lines, the reader gets a more complete story than either version of the main character.

I’m sure it was very difficult to write as I’m having huge difficulties just describing it here, so I’ll make it simple. It was funny, I liked most of the characters, I enjoyed the romance, and I loved the idea. The balance of English-American references was interesting and makes it accessible to readers on both sides of the Atlantic. A light, amusing read following a girl’s experiences with love, friendship and finding out who she is.

Contests!

It's often really annoying that most book contests are only open to people in the states, but I've found a couple of great contests you lovely UK (or other not-from-America) people can enter:

My Favourite Books is holding an amazing contest to give away boxes of books to schools and libraries as well as individual books to UK school children, so if you happen to be a teacher/librarian/school child in the UK, go and check it out! And if you're not, go and give Liz and Mark some love anyway for doing something so cool. This contest ends 28th February, so get any entries in fast!

Chicklish is giving away sets of Sophie McKenzie novels. Again, I'm sorry this is only open to UK people. It ends, uh, today, so you'd better be fast!

The last is a contest open worldwide, and this is hosted by Amy from Addicted to Books. She's giving one lucky person five books so get over there and enter! (Please mention in your entry that I sent you guys). This one lasts until the end of March.

Book review - City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Clary is just a normal girl hanging out with her best friend Simon when she witnesses a murder. Then the body disappears and it seems she is the only one who can see the strange three people who hunted him down. Soon after, her mother disappears and she runs into these strangers again. They are somehow all connected and Clary realises she is not as ordinary as she once believed. Determined to find her mother, she enlists the help of the three shadowhunter children and finds herself in more danger than she could have dreamed of.

Although parts of this book were completely formulaic (pretty girl oblivious of best friend being in love with her) the writing and characters made up for it. Not only were the characters likeable, but they were also complicated. I could easily believe that they had lives and motives outside of the plot, people not being either good or bad, but a bit of both. The shadow-hunter children sometimes talked like they'd swallowed dictionaries, although this is probably to show how unlike normal teenagers they are, it unfortunately made them seem not like teenagers at all, but this was my only problem with the characters.

With enough twists to keep the suspense and an interesting plot, City of Bones was gripping and entertaining. Cassandra Clare is especially good at weaving the romantic elements into the plot, with exactly the right amount, not too much to slow down the plot. The book kind of resolves at the end, but leaves a big question for the reader (anyone who has read the book will know what I'm talking about - noooooo, he can't be!!!). I’m definitely going to be reading more in this series.

Author Interview with Julia Golding

Since 2006, the amazing Julia Golding has published 13 books, with at least 3 more written! These books include the popular Cat Royal series and Companions Quartet, as well as a series featuring a teenage spy, and a couple of standalone novels. Recently I got the chance to ask her a few questions.

What are you reading at the moment?
Books on Tudor England - many and various.

Ooh, exciting. I wonder if this has anything to do with a certain new Tudor book you’ve mentioned...
What was the first story you ever wrote?
Can't remember, but I filled many notebooks while at primary school with stories.

Your range of careers seems to have been as diverse as the genres of your books. Did you have a favourite job (other than author), or do you just enjoy the variation?
Oxfam

Can you speak Polish?
Tak

You’ve written an incredible amount of books in just a few years, so what’s the writing process like? What is a typical day for you, how many hours do you spend writing?
Fun, most of the time, but difficult when the family is at home (like now) and I can't get to it because they are under my feet (literally). Usually about four hours, starting off in a cafe and then at home in my study.

How long does each book take to write?
Depends - about 3 to 4 months spread over a year or more.

How did you find out that your first book was going to be published? What was your reaction?
It was a slow process of growing commitment from OUP so there was no Eureka moment.

How do you manage working with two publishers at the same time?
I have more than 2 and it's fine.

If you had to pick one favourite scene from any of your books, which would it be?
Cat boxing Syd.

Which is your favourite book cover?
Cat Among the Pigeons

I love Stingo, he’s amazing and just makes me smile. Do you know any real-life Stingos?
If only... I did know a very military minded human rights worker who did loads of dangerous stuff to find evidence of abuses and I suppose Stingo owes something to him. He was great to go hiking with because he carried all the equipment and whipped up a hot meal on top of a mountain.

Thanks Julia, for taking time out of your hectic schedule to talk to me.


What’s next?
The publication of Cat’s Cradle and Deadlock has unfortunately been pushed back until 2010 due to a cover rethink, but her next novel, Wolf Cry, is out in August.

You can visit Julia’s wonderful website here, which includes a question and answer section with the cast from the Cat Royal series – at the moment Syd is in the question chair, so get any questions you have in fast.

Series spotlight - Bayern series by Shannon Hale

There are so many good books that have been out in the market for ages. Series Spotlight will be featured every week and is to introduce readers to series they may not have heard of before. Usually, these series will be ongoing, like today’s spotlight – Shannon Hale’s Bayern series.

These are based on a group of friends in a fictitious land – Bayern. Each book is told from a different character’s perspective, but includes all of the main characters. The first book, a retelling of the fairytale The Goose Girl, sets up this group of friends. The subsequent books, while not being retellings of specific fairytales, still retain the fairytale-like quality. This series is so beautifully written, humorous yet deep, fantastic yet realistic. I’ve heard the series described as lyrical and I have to agree. When reading any of this series, I have the feeling that every single word has been agonised over. There’s not a single word more or less than there needs to be to tell the perfect story.

The Goose Girl
Crown Princess Anidori Isilee has struggled all her life in the shadow of her mother, the perfect Queen. More inclined to go riding with her father, or learning the language of the birds with her aunt than holding court, she fears that she is a failure as a Princess. Only her father, her horse and her maid Selia are her true friends. But when her father dies, she discovers that she is not to inherit the crown after all, but be sent to a strange country and marry a Prince she has never met. When she is betrayed and left alone in a foreign country, Ani must learn to be herself, as a humble goose girl, before she can set things right again.
A beautiful story. As a fairytale, a certain amount of the plot was formulaic, but the writing was clever and enchanting, making the whole tale feel fresh, which essentially it was. Shannon Hale has taken a few small paragraphs of a fairytale and created a comprehensive world, characters and story. This is an old favourite, so satisfying and memorable, highly recommended. From the premise and title, I’d assume that this book finds more of a home among girls, but I’d like to add that when my brother read it, he enjoyed it.

Enna Burning
What would it be like to learn the language of fire, an element so destructive to everything in its path? Enna is about to find out. Bayern is going to war and Enna is right there in the action. Desperate to use her secret new talent, she disappears on illicit missions to enemy towns. However, soon these missions will put her in great danger, leading her to question her loyalties, motives, love and herself.
The plot for Enna Burning is much more complex than that of The Goose Girl. It is also somewhat grittier. Although still beautifully written, and retaining its fairytale qualities, Enna Burning addresses issues of death, grief, kidnap, and war. Most of the characters from The Goose Girl are back in this second chapter in the lives of the animal workers from Bayern. When most stand-alone books result in sequels, the results are disappointing and badly planned. Fairytales don’t have sequels do they? Apparently they do! And they can be just as good as the original.

River Secrets
Razo is short and skinny, not that great at fighting. That’s why when Talone chooses him to go on the peace mission to Tira, he assumes that it’s more to do with his being friends with Finn and Enna than his actual potential usefulness to the peace process. Relations between Bayern and Tira are still very tense following the war featured in Enna Burning. Razo’s unshakable cheerfulness and outgoing friendliness might just be exactly what the peace process needs.
Razo is one of the greatest characters from this series. Practical joker, cheerful, loyal and incredibly amusing, he’s a wonderful main character. I also liked that this main character doesn’t develop any nature-speaking talents – he doesn’t need them. With an interesting plot focusing on court intrigue and a new vibrant culture for a setting, River Secrets is a great addition to the series. I’d also like to include a well-done to Ms Hale for writing so well from a boy’s perspective.

What’s next?
Forest Born, starring Razo’s sister Rin, out in October 09 (I think)

These series are being re-covered both in the UK and the US. What do you guys think? I love the original covers myself, but I think they’ve done a wonderful job with the new covers, especially the photographic Goose Girl.

You can visit the author's website here and you can buy the books here (UK) or here (US)