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
10 Best Reads of 2010
2010 has been a rather awesome year for me, book-wise. I managed to read 71 books – perhaps not as impressive as some lists out there, but certainly a record for me. The past few months have made it hard for me to read and review as much as I used to, new job, new course and – basically – a whole new life in a new area. But what hadn’t changed is my love for reading – so don’t expect me to be going anywhere!
So, my ten favourite reads of 2010. I list these with lots of love, as I have discovered some fantastic new authors this year (Ann Aguirre, Jaye Wells) and read some fantastic reads from old favourites (The Reckoning!).
1. Red-headed Stepchild by Jaye Wells
2. The Mage in Black by Jaye Wells
OMG this series. The first book in this series was such a surprising read. I can’t even remember buying this book, and I only picked up as part of the New Authors Challenge. But reading it was practically transformative. I hadn’t felt this way about a book since The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong! As soon as I got my copy of The Mage in Black, I started reading it and didn’t stop till I had finished it. It was just as good as the first!
3. The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong
4. Firespell by Chloe Neill
Firespell stood out from the other YA debuts of 2010. Chloe Neill is a fun and funny writer, with a very different twist on the whole paranormal YA scene. Her adult series is also fantastic – so give her a shot!
5. Graceling by Kristin Cashore
6. Grimspace by Ann Aguirre
Grimspace. Grim-OMFG-space. I adored this book. Aguirre set my heart a flutter and just… yeah. OMG this book. And what’s even more astounding is that she keeps up the quality in the second novel of the series, Wanderlust. I can’t wait to review that one!
7. Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles
8. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
I am so very glad I finally read the Vampire Academy series! I knew everybody loved it, but I had no idea why until I read it. I haven’t finished the series yet, but it is certainly one of my favourite YA series… ever.
9. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
10. Linger by Maggie Stiefvater
So, that’s all for 2010. I am super excited about this new year, and I want to thank all DBD followers for sticking it out with me this year. It’s been great reading your comments and following your blogs – so thank you!
Oh, what a challenge (The 2010 wrap-up post)
The challenges of 2010. The suffering and guilt, the fantastic books and prizes – here’s a wrap-up of the challenges I conquered, and the ones that nearly conquered me!There was the 100+ Reading Challenge, over at (what once was) J.Kaye’s Book Blog. I managed to get 71 books read, which was a record for me but still didn’t get me over the bar. It was also the first year I participated in The Story Siren’s Debut (YA) Author Challenge – for which I read and reviewed 9 out of 12 debut novels. Then there was J.Kaye’s YA Reading Challenge, for which I read a grand total of 37 books. Pretty impressive given the fact I’d set out to read only 25.
I also took part in two of Literary Escapism’s New Author Mini-Challenges. These were super fun, as they only lasted a month and I actually managed to complete them! First there was The League of Reluctant Adults Mini-Challenge (where I discovered Jaye Wells and Richelle Mead), and then there was the Deadline Dames vs. Fangs Fur & Fey Mini-Challenge.
The award for most neglected challenge of 2010 goes to… the Finish that Series Challenge. To be honest, I just forgot about this one once I’d signed up for it. You didn’t have to check in monthly, there were hardly any wrap-up posts, and well… I still managed to complete the Mercy Thompson series (although a new book has since been released!).
The only challenge I regret not completing was the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit Readalong. I managed to get half-way through Two Towers before I accidentally abandoned the books. I truly do plan on finishing this series at some point in my life – just a shame I didn’t manage to do it in 2010!
I also participated in two of Dewey’s 24-hour Read-a-thons. I didn’t get too many books read, but they were great fun! I really look forward to the September 2011 Readathon.
Review: Dark Life by Kat Falls
Dark Life by Kat FallsSeries: Dark Life #1
Published by Scholastic
Pages: 304
Genres: Science Fiction YA, Young Adult
Source: Purchased myself
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Rating:
Ty has lived under the ocean for his entire life. Following global warming and the rise of the seas, his family joined an underwater community in hopes of living in the new frontier of the ocean floor. But When Ty meets Gemma, a girl from "topside", who is searching the seas for her brother, she quickly makes his life very complicated. Together Ty and Gemma face dangerous sea creatures and venture into the frontier town's rough underworld as they search for her missing brother. But the deeper they dig, the more attention they attract, and soon Ty and Gemma find themselves being hunted by a gang of outlaws who roam the underwater territories causing havoc, and who seem to have eerie abilities. But Ty has a secret of his own, living underwater for his entire life has meant he has also developed a "special" power. Can he keep it a secret from Gemma and his family or is it time for him to finally tell everyone the truth?
Thoughts: I adored Dark Life. Lately, I’ve been reading books that have been on my wishlist for eons and have turned out to be extremely disappointing. (The Body Finder is a fantastic example of a book I was in lust with – and like most superficial relationships, it fell apart upon actually reading it.) So, my high expectations for the Dark Life were worrying.
But Dark Life lived up to every expectation. It’s science fiction only, instead of space, we’ve colonised the ocean. The book follows some sort of apocalyptic disaster – the opening of the novel has Ty swimming around what seemed to be the ruins of New York City. But, society had moved on, and the apparent overthrow of the modern world is old news.
Dark Life has action, cool underwater gadgets, a couple of quasi-paranormal abilities and a dash of romance. All the perfect ingredients for a brilliant YA novel. But what made me love it were the things that you aren’t thrown at you. Dark Life deals with some pretty serious social, scientific and political issues without seeming preachy. In fact, they are so subtly handled, they can almost be overlooked in favour of the action.
I love, love, love that. Of course, books which wrap up with a take-away message can be great – but I adore the ones that make you stop and think, whilst gently nudging you in a particular direction. Dark Life is that kind of book.
Bottom line? Faaantastic! Read Dark Life if you are looking for something fun yet thought-provoking. Ooh, it also has a male narrator! Isn’t it sad that that is rare enough to warrent excitement?
Monday Reading (Nov. 29th, 2010)
It’s Monday! What are you reading this week? is a weekly event now hosted by One Persons Journey Through a World Of Books where we discuss our week of reading!
Currently Reading:
- A Madness of Angels by Kate Griffin – Yep, I’m still reading this – even though it has been, oh, 3 months since I started it! I blame myself, not the book.
- Mercy by Rebecca Lim – Not sure how I feel about this one yet… the main character seems rather out of it.
- Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes – Again, I’m not quite sure I am going to enjoy this one. The main character is rather reckless and has a bit of the TSTL (too stupid to live) syndrome going on.
- Wanderlust by Ann Aguirre – OMG THIS SERIES. This book single-handedly got me out of my reading slump. Loved it (although not as much as Grimspace, which should be worshipped as the literary genius it is).
- Bone Crossed by Patricia Briggs – You can always count on Briggs to deliver, and this book was yet another example of that. Fantastic read – this series is a must for werewolf fans!
Cover Alert! Chain Reaction by Simone Elkeles
My GOD, I know it has been an age and a half – but I have been hit by my annual case of reading slump. Usually happens this time of year (seriously, it is clockwork – this must be my 5th annual reading slump?) as this is when I get back into the groove of studying – in this case, working!
Anyhow, I needed to share the awesome news I saw on twitter… the cover to Simone Elkeles’s third book in the Perfect Chemistry trilogy: CHAIN REACTION.
I really like it – albeit not as much as the covers for Rules of Attraction and Perfect Chemistry. I have a feeling it is going to be quite a, er, steamy book… friggin awesome. Anyhow, it will fit perfectly next to the two on my shelves! Super exciting!
Chain Reaction will be out on May 24th, 2011…. So what do y’all think?