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
Lauren Oliver + Book Bloggers = Too Much Love
Ok, so y’all have probably heard about the stupendous Lauren Oliver event that Hodder hosted for book bloggers. It has been all over the blogosphere for two simple reasons:
- Lauren Oliver is quite possibly the nicest, smartest, loveliest, most genuine person you’ll ever meet and I want her as my BFF.
- They plastered us with cocktails in teacups, and signed books.
I was really lucky to be invited along and had a fabulous time meeting Lauren and all you book bloggers! I don’t want to go through a blow-by-blow description of the great time I had as a lot of bloggers have already posted far more eloquent descriptions of the day. Jenny from Wondrous Reads (who I am such a friggin’ fangirl of ♥) has a lovely event report – as does Carla from The Crooked Shelf (it’s true people, she is exactly like her blog) and Tara from Hobbitsies.
So, if this isn’t an event re-cap, why the showing-off post? Well, I wanted to share the great video of the event that Hodder has just put up. This thing made me teary eyed and I even sent it to my mother – just watch it and see why! (Also, you can play “spot the book blogger”, as everyone was there.)
Review – Captivate by Carrie Jones
Captivate by Carrie Jones
Bookdepository / Amazon UK / Amazon US
Librarything / Goodreads
Genre: Paranormal Young Adult
Rating: 3 stars
Pages: 273
Summary: Zara and her friends knew they hadn’t solved the pixie problem for good. Far from it. The king’s needs grow deeper every day he’s stuck in captivity, while his control over his people gets weaker. It’s made him vulnerable. And now there’s a new king in town.
A turf war is imminent, since the new pixie king, Astley, is moving in quickly. Nick nearly killed him in the woods on day one, but Zara came to his rescue. Astley swears that he and Zara are destined to be together, that he’s one of the good guys. Nick isn’t buying it, though Zara isn’t as sure — despite herself, she wants to trust the new king. But it’s a lot more than her relationship with Nick that is at stake. It’s her life — and his.
Thoughts: Captivate was a real disappointment. All the bones where there – interesting characters, surprising plot, fantastic supernatural characters – but the emotion was missing. I could remember loving these characters but, for the life of me, I couldn’t remember why.
While I was intrigued by the character development in this book (OMG she… oh, I can’t say anything) it was rather an intellectual appreciation. There were a couple of climatic, emotionally intense scenes that left me rather… blank. Every character in Captivate – no exceptions – became a plot device. Sure, they were servicing a really interesting plot, but that’s not enough.
All of the emotional issues felt rather forced – all talk, no substance. All the he-love-she-love tragedy became annoying instead of touching. Not to mention Zara’s sidekicks, Issie and Devyn, ended up really getting on my nerves. I could barely believe this was the same author and the same characters who made my heart pitter-patter in Need! The only character who kept me interested was Astley. I have yet to figure him out, and I am rather looking forward to seeing more of him.
Bottom line? If I could only judge the series by Captivate, I’d say skip it. But I still have hope. The bones are there for a spectacular series are there – Captivate just missed the mark.
In My Mailbox (March 20th, 2011)
My laptop camera is super crappy, but I’ve included the images nonetheless. One of the OMGYAY books I received was Enclave by Ann Aguirre – I peeled off the cover to reveal the old, illustrated Razorland cover. It’s a fab book, and came with an CD in the back! Very nice.
For Review:
- Delirium by Lauren Oliver – Lovely UK hardcover for my collection. Read and LOVED this book!
- Immortal Beloved by Cate Tiernan – Again, the shiny UK hardcover.
- Being Billy by Phil Earle
- Eighth Grade Bites by Heather Brewer – This one looks like a lot of fun!
- Siren by Tricia Rayburn
- My Soul to Save by Rachel Vincent
- The Queen’s Lady by Eve Edwards – Apparently this is indeed YA, despite the rather non-YA cover.
Bought:
- Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch – Read 25 pages of this on the way home and GOSH is it ever fantastic!
- Hexbound by Chloe Neill
- Across the Universe by Beth Revis– I’ve heard so many fantastic things about this book and can’t wait to start it.
- Entice by Carrie Jones
- The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove by Lauren Kate – Won at I Want To Read That – Thanks Sammee!
- The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
- The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney – This is the lovely special gold-rimmed edition… gorgeous.
- Enclave by Ann Aguirre – Photo is of the original Razorland cover – sent for review. Buy this in hardcover.
- Angel by L.A. Weatherly
- The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan
- Darkborn by Alison Sinclair
- Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly – I’ve read about 20-or-so pages of this and was surprised by how much I enjoyed it.
*wipes brow* Perhaps I’m just out of practice, but just putting this post together was exhausting! Hope y’all had a great week, and I’ll see you back here again next week with some actual reviews!
Waiting on Wednesday: Eve by Anna Carey
“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that are being eagerly anticipated.
Eve (The Eve Trilogy #1) by Anna Carey The year is 2032, sixteen years after a deadly virus—and the vaccine intended to protect against it—wiped out most of the earth’s population. Wildlife has grown over once recognizable landmarks, and the New America is ruled by a controlling King who will stop at nothing to rebuild the nation—including enslaving its boys and turning its girls into broodmares.
Goodreads – October 4th 2011 by HarperTeenThe Eve Trilogy is a breathlessly told story with an unforgettable heroine. Anna Carey has imagined a remarkable and unique world, and brings a compelling new voice to the dystopian genre. Eve offers a haunting glimpse of the global pandemic some scientists say is inevitable, and a world forever altered by its aftermath. Fans of Twilight and The Hunger Games will revel in this epic story of forbidden love, and an unforgettable heroine’s extraordinary adventure.
Ok, perhaps the references to Twilight and The Hunger Games are a bit much – but this book still looks fantastic. Delirium has wetted my appetite for post-apocalyptic YA… not to mention I also rather like the idea of a world with a few fewer humans on it!
Monday Reading (March 14th, 2011)
It’s Monday! What are you reading this week? is a weekly event hosted by One Persons Journey Through a World Of Books where we discuss our week of reading!
- Wake by Lisa McMann – OMG why did I wait so long to read this series? I am only 50 or so pages in, and am in love. This woman can really, really write. If I order the rest of the series before I finish the first book, would that be considered bad form?
- Sea Change by Aimee Friedman – Read this in a day and loved it. The deep south setting, the scientist!heroine, and the page-turning mystery have made me want to run out and buy all Friedman’s books!
- Night Shift by Lilith Saintcrow – Jill Kismet is the poster gal for screwed-up UF heroines. Great writing, but not as fantastic as it could have been.
- Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes – Despite the bland romance, this book really turned it up by the end – some fantastic twists which made me not want to put the book down! Not to mention Callum (oh, Callum ♥) stole my heart.
- Green-Eyed Demon by Jaye Wells
- On Coffee and Princesses – YA authors we’ve loved and let go.
- Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shephard – Have been loving the TV Show as of late. Even though I did not like Sara’s adult book, I think I should give her YA a try.
