Hi there! I’m Kay: an opinionated book blogger enamoured with the world of novels. Reader of Speculative Fiction (the posh word for Sci-Fi/Fantasy) and Young Adult novels. Believer in the many uses of the towel, the science of deduction and other fandom in-jokes.
This blog has been closed since early 2016. To the publishers and writers: thanks for all the support over the years. To my readers and fellow bloggers: keep in touch!
Recent Reviews
Review: Ink by Amanda Sun
Ink by Amanda SunSeries: Paper Gods #1
Published by Harlequin Teen, MIRA on July 5th 2013
Pages: 384
Genres: Paranormal YA, Young Adult
Source: Received for review from publishers
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Rating:
Katie Greene is lost in the wake of her mum's death. Sent to Japan, she meets gorgeous but aloof artist Tomohiro, whose tough attitude intrigues and scares her. Then things get really strange. When they're near each other, Tomohiro's drawings start to come to life…
Soon the wrong people begin to ask questions, and Katie and Tomohiro must risk everything to protect the truth.
Thoughts: Ink delves into a culture I didn’t even know I wanted to know about. I am not particularly knowledgeable about Japan*, but after reading Ink I felt like I had taken a mini-course in Japanese culture. Somewhat to my surprise, I was rather intrigued!
Ink’s protagonist, Katie, provides the perfect outsider POV on Japan’s culture and mythology. She is the perfect guide into a world filled with kendo, bento boxes and cherry blossoms. Oh, and of course, she introduces us to some pretty brilliant Japanese mythology: the Kami. These “Paper Gods” can control ink, making it into creatures and objects that are completely under their command. It’s pretty awesome – and pretty original.
So, I certainly loved the Japanese setting and mythology of Ink. Katie and her love interest Tomo, however, I could go either way on. I found Katie rather confusing to be honest. At times she seemed really self-conscious… but her actions contradicted that to the point of being reckless. I mean, I love a girl who refuses to sit back and let “her man” protect her… but at the same time, I felt like she wasn’t always doing it for the right reasons. It irked me a bit.
And as for Tomo, I’ve got nothing too positive or negative to say about the guy… he didn’t make a big impression despite him supposedly being a bit of a badass. Also, his relationship with Katie kinda reminded me of that of Kaylee and Nash in the first Soul Screamers book by Rachel Vincent. It’s puppy love and seems rather idiotic from the outside: I only hope they both grow from it and then proceed to grow out of it.
With that said, I thought Amanda’s side-characters rather awesome. I was drawn to Jun (aka Mr. So-going-to-enter-this-love-triangle), Yuki (the obligatory BFF we need to hide things from) and Aunt Diane (whose backstory I would lurve). I’m looking forward to them all getting a heck of a lot of “air time” in the next book!
Bottom line: Ink is a genuinely original YA novel that still feels familiar. If you love your paranormal teen mysteries but you’re sick of their middle-America settings, pick it up.
* Except for their hideous whaling policies and their annual Taiji dolphin slaughter… that I unfortunately know far too much about. *returns to happy thoughts*
Back from sick leave
This image kinda spoke to me: at last, I flipping up the shades to see!
Hi everyone,
This summer was a difficult one for me. I suffered from really severe eye trauma that left me unable to see for many weeks. Although most of my vision slowly returned, it will never be what it once was. I don’t want to get into the gritty details, but needless to say this has been really tough on my family and me. But I am lucky to have had a good support system… and am actually rather optimistic about the future.
These past two weeks I’ve slowly started using the computer and reading again. I’ve missed it SO MUCH. As all you bibliophiles will understand, not reading when you really, really want to is absolute torture. I’m happy to be getting back in the saddle, especially since last month I wasn’t sure I ever would!
That’s my quick-and-dirty explanation: apologies for any unanswered emails and unposted guest spots. I am currently catching up on my inbox and will try to get back to you all ASAP!
Love,
Kay
Oksa Pollock in the UK: fans share their thoughts!
The first book: Oksa Pollock: The Last Hope
Earlier this summer, the fan-favourite series Oksa Pollock arrived in the UK. Although not well know to a lot of us English-language natives, the series has a huge group of fans abroad. Some of these fans (a.k.a. “Pollockmaniacs”) answer the question:
“Why should UK children read Oksa Pollock?”
Why read Oksa? The world created by the authors is really well imagined, gripping, and quite simply magical (in the real as well as figurative sense of the word). It’s really easy to identify with Oksa as well as with the other characters, each of whom is unique and mysterious (and no, I’m not just talking about the tall, dark and handsome one!) And also the creatures – how could you not fall in love with the Lunatrixes or the Incompetent? Oksa Pollock’s world contains a whole flock of funny and charming animals, and the rest of the characters would not disagree! To read Oksa Pollock is to go from laughter to tears (even crying with laughter), to self-discovery, to be surprised and to travel in time… because once you’ve dived into Oksa’s world it’s very difficult to climb back out! It’s the sort of book you start reading just to see what it’s like, but then can’t bear to tear yourself away from before you’re finished! You don’t need to be a big fan of fantasy to appreciate the plot and the setting, it’s so well written that it has you gripped from the very beginning. This book, this series, turns you into a total addict. You only want one thing: to read it, reread it and find out what happens next!
Why read Oksa Pollock? It’s just a fantastic, magical story, with fascinating, unique and unforgettable characters! Cendrine Wolf and Anne Plichota have managed to create a completely captivating world! Moving scenes, full of action, of romance… If you have to read one series, I would totally recommend Oksa Pollock! Happiness guaranteed!
They should read Oksa Pollock because it takes place in a really original universe which is stunning because it’s so magical, and because of its colourful characters to which you become attached so quickly. It’s a unique style of writing because the two authors each bring a bit of themselves to the book. Oksa is young and readers will either be able to remember their teenage years through her, or gain a new friend who is going through the same things as them.
You must read Oksa because it’s the best fantasy book in the world. You really identify with the characters, and everything you need for a good novel is there: suspense, adventure, emotions, romance, friendship… It’s also really funny, thanks to the Oksa–Tugdual–Gus triangle. From the first line you’re hooked!
The sequel – Oksa Pollock: The Forest of Lost Souls – will be out next February.
Why read Oksa Pollock? It’s simple—it’s gripping, funny, so well written you feel like you’re part of the adventure yourself. A must-read!
You should read Oksa Pollock because it’s an amazing book. You feel all the emotions that the Runaways are feeling. You feel so much like one of the Runaways that you can lose yourself in the book and forget everything. Also, what’s brilliant is that this book contains everything you can feel, from love and joy to sadness and despair, the full range! It’s more than a brilliant book, it’s magical.
To have fun, and to have a good time, I have one solution… read the Oksa Pollock books. It’s a fascinating and interesting story. The best I ever read! If you like fantasy, magic or even a beautiful story about love and a friendship… the story is for you! The first time I read the first volume, I was surprised to find myself liking this kind of book. I normally hate love stories, but this mix between magic and love is fantastic! If you loved Harry Potter, you just can’t help but love Oksa Pollock!
Oksa Pollock transports us from a sometimes sad, real world to an incredible, enchanted place. It’s non-stop emotion! To read this book is to become a Pollock fan, from the first line, to the point that it is hard to stop reading. This book is magical, and not to read it would mean missing out on an incredible story, which can re-energise you and make you laugh, even when you’re feeling sad.
This post’s content was provided by the UK publishers. Thank you to them and to the Pollockmaniacs for sharing their thoughts!
What a Rush! – the (Belated) April/May Wind-up
In this month’s (double) wind-up: BEA-palooza, books continue to glare, and Marissa Meyer does the best version of Little Red Riding Hood known to man.
The Events
April and May were the best months of my literary year: not only did I get to meet the brilliant Michael Grant, I also attended Book Expo America. My recaps of these events were numerous and detailed. Check them out:
- Event Recap: Michael Grant signing
- BEA 2013 Recap (Part I): the infamous Book Blogger Conference
- BEA 2013 Recap (Part II): a tale told (mostly) in instagrams
- BEA 2013: the book haul
The Reads
My favourite book of the past two months was – by far – Scarlet by Marissa Meyer. I don’t know WHY I haven’t reviewed it yet, as I had so many overwhelmingly positive feelings about it. (Although, same goes for The Fault in Our Stars, which I am still trying to work out how to review coherently.) Scarlet came off of my April TBR pile and made everything else I picked up pale in comparison.
In May, I set out to read a whole tonne of books that were the final installments in my favourite series. Out of the TBR pile, I finished off the Vampire Academy series, the Soul Screamers series and… that’s it. I blame BEA for distracting me so thoroughly from this noble attempt of mine!! Still, I feel very good about having Last Sacrifice off of my TBR pile. That book has been glaring at me for years now.
The Non-bookish (ahem, TV)
I’ve been loving Elementary and Game of Thrones these past few months. The former I had hoarded on my computer awaiting my trip to New York – it was a great, Sherlockian preview of the city. As for Game of Thrones, who isn’t watching that? No really, if you aren’t watching it, let me know so that I can convince you of the error of your ways.
Summer Shorts
I had some very intense exams early June, hence the slow postings, but I shall be on full-time this summer starting with the return of the Summer Shorts. This is my weekly summer feature (every weekend, July and August), in which I review fantastic YA and Speculative Fiction short stories. The 2013 edition of Summer Shorts will have a bit of extra engagement in it, so look out for how you can participate!
Giveaway! With All My Soul by Rachel Vincent
MIRA sent me two lovely copies of With All My Soul by Rachel Vincent, one of which I have hoarded away for myself, and the other which I am now sharing with the world! Yup, this giveaway is open WORLDWIDE – so, if you’ve been coveting a UK edition of one of her novels, this is your chance to get in on the action.
After spending the last year undead, Kaylee Cavanaugh has had enough of the paranormal creatures who have plagued her ever since she came into her banshee powers. Now she’s ready to take her school back from the evil hellions, once and forever.
To protect her friends, Kaylee will need to find a way to turn the living incarnations of Avarice, Envy and Vanity against one another.
Yet when one more person close to her is taken, Kaylee realises she can’t save everyone she loves without making some powerful sacrifices…
The Prize: A finished UK copy of With All My Soul by Rachel Vincent
To enter (Terms and Conditions):
- fill out the form below.
- entrants must be 13 years of age or older.
- contest open WORLDWIDE (i.e. Lunar residents will be excluded)
- the winner will be notified by email and will have 48 hours to reply else a new winner will be chosen.
- the winner will have to share their postal address – shocking, but a necessary evil when using antique forms of contact such as mail.