Review: Poison Princess by Kresley Cole

Poison Princess by Kresley Cole
Release Date: October 1st 2012
Series: Arcana Chronicles #1
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Format: Paperback ARC
Source: Publisher for review purposes

My Rating: 4/5 Stars

Thank you, thank you, thank you to the lovely people at Simon and Schuster for sending me an ARC of Poison Princess. Though I was sent a copy, all opinions and views that are expressed are my own!

The first book in a new series revolving around the cards of a Tarot Deck. Sounds interesting right? I don't know a whole lot about the cards of a Tarot deck but it has always intrigued me!

Let's start with this cover. GORGEOUS. It's all dark and mysterious, somewhat dystopian looking location. Is it weird that the thing I most enjoy about this cover is the jaw line of the guy? Seriously though, look at it! I know the picture above isn't the best quality and even still you can see it!

Blogspiration #9

Blogspiration is a weekly book meme hosted by Kristin @ Growing Up YA and Sarah @ Saz101. This meme was created to share with our fellow readers a quote/picture/video to do with bookish things.

 Where, oh where can I get one of these! Laptop cover for Macbook. They also do book covers for Iphones.. May have to Bookify everything...

Happy reading!
- Amy

Feature and Follow Friday #15

Feature and Follow Friday is a weekly book meme hosted over at Alison Can Read and Parajunkee's View. It was created to allow us bloggers to find more blogs to follow and to allow our following to grow! For more information and to join in the fun, please check out their page's!

Q: What hyped up book was worth all of the fuss?

I have a feeling that there are going to be many of the same answers across the board for this one. Do I have to just pick one?! That's so hard. Ok I will have to say Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi. I devoured this book. I finished it in one sitting and was left wanting more. The whole premise of the book is so intriguing and I'm so glad that Tahereh Mafi more than pulled this book off. It is now one of my favourites and I can't wait for the second!

What hyped up book do you think was worth all the fuss? Or link me to your FF's!
Also don't forget to check out my international giveaway while you're here!

Happy reading!
- Amy

Review: Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson

Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson
Release Date: June 7th 2012
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Source: Received for review from Publisher
Collins | Dymocks | Book Depository

My Rating: 5/5 Stars.

From Goodreads: "Taylor Edwards’ family might not be the closest-knit—everyone is a little too busy and overscheduled—but for the most part, they get along just fine. Then Taylor’s dad gets devastating news, and her parents decide that the family will spend one last summer all together at their old lake house in the Pocono Mountains.

Crammed into a place much smaller and more rustic than they are used to, they begin to get to know each other again. And Taylor discovers that the people she thought she had left behind haven’t actually gone anywhere. Her former best friend is still around, as is her first boyfriend…and he’s much cuter at seventeen than he was at twelve.

As the summer progresses and the Edwards become more of a family, they’re more aware than ever that they’re battling a ticking clock. Sometimes, though, there is just enough time to get a second chance—with family, with friends, and with love."

Firstly I would like to say a massive thank you to the lovely people at Simon and Schuster for sending me a copy of this book for review purposes. This does not in any way alter my review or opinion of this book. 

I absolutely LOVED this book, I mean all caps LOVED. Morgan Matson is fast becoming one of my favourite YA contemporary authors. I adored Amy and Roger's Epic Detour, click the link to check out that review. After reading her first book I was seriously excited for Second Chance Summer, and it did not disappoint! 

Review: The Secret Hour by Scott Westerfeld

The Secret Hour by Scott Westerfeld

Released: February 14th 2004
Series: Midnighters #1
Publisher: Atom
Source: Library

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Oh my golly gosh. This book was awesome. If you could publish awesome, it would be in the form of this book. Big statement I know. But stay with me, because this book deserves much more attention!

Most of the YA community (in my experience) has read or at least heard of the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld. Don't get me wrong, I adored that series too. But this? This was on a whole other level.

Now the Uglies series is still awesome, but since reading the books, I have come across books that are similar in some ways. Delirium being one, which I feel is a combo of Uglies and Matched. They are not exactly the same but that had the same feel. ANYWAY. The Secret Hour? So original! At least in my opinion. 

Blogspiration #8

Blogspiration is a weekly book meme hosted by Kristin @ Growing Up YA and Sarah @ Saz101. This meme was created to share with our fellow readers a quote/picture/video that inspire's us...

Ok, really not sure how this 'inspire's' me.... But just go with it.

Please tell me I'm not the only one?! I think this is completely sane! I mean, I often cry in books. The characters don't actually have to die for me to cry though. I'll just be crying left right and centre. This is why I can't read in public... AWKWARDDDD!

Happy reading! 
- Amy

Blogspiration #7

Hi everyone

Blogspiration is a an awesome weekly book meme hosted by Kristin @ Growing Up YA and Sarah @ Saz101. This meme was created to share with our fellow readers a quote/picture/video to do with bookish things.

This one comes from pinterest, but for the life of me I can't find the original link, so I apologise!!!

This is me: "I must get home so I can finish that book!" either that or I don't leave the house till it's finished..

My bookshelf is a direct indication of how little else there is than books. But really what else IS there? :P

Happy reading!
- Amy

Melina Marchetta Book Signing

Where do I even start? I mean.. You saw the title of this post. I MET MELINA MARCHETTA!! *Fan girl moment!!*

Thanks to the awesome people at Perth YA Fans Unite, who along with Subiaco Library were able to lock down this event with Melina! If you are a Perth YA fan then you definitely need to check out both the Fans Unite blog and facebook page. They need all the support they can get to make future events just as awesome as this one!!


Melina is such a lovely person and her talk was so informative. I like hearing the processes author's go through to get to the final product of their book. Melina spoke about the research that she does for her novels. It is not enough for her to imagine a place or see pictures of it. She needs to see locations in person. Because of this she has seen many amazing places, particularly throughout Europe in the case of her Lumatere Chronicles. She travelled to see caves all over Europe for her most recent book Froi of the Exiles. The locations in Froi are inspired by landscapes but she becomes some what of a sculpturist, transforming the location she sees into the location that she writes, taking and altering many different aspects.

Melina also spoke about her process of creating a story. She does not start with a plot or setting, it all starts with a character for her. Now I may be paraphrasing slightly here but... "I know when I can't get a character out of my head that they will show up in a story down the line." I have never really thought of the characters coming first then the plot line, so I found this very interesting.

Towards the end of the evening Melina opened the room up for questions and this is where everyone got even more excited. Someone asked a question about the movie they are making based on On the Jellicoe Road and Melina spoke about how involved she is in the process. Script writing and picking actors to approach for the leads. The same as with the movie version of Looking for Alibrandi, which Melina was a massive part of. Melina revealed that they have approached an actor who would be the 'perfect Taylor' but she was unable to tell us who it was. There were definitely more than a few gasps through the crowd as everyone took in this information.

Then it came to the book signing. Melina signed every book that was put in front of her, but she did more than just sign. She made the effort to talk to each and everyone person that approached her for a signature, which was just lovely. She is so down to earth and a true Australian gem.

(Picture is courtesy of Taneika at Flipping Through the Pages as I am silly and forgot my camera)

After the book signing, I was invited by a blogging friend to hang around and grab some dinner, where I got to meet so many lovely bloggers! It was so nice to meet more 'people of my kind' I like to say. YA book bloggers, I feel, are a special breed of person. We just get each other so well. So you can imagine that there was a lot of post Melina Marchetta 'squee-ing' as well as many many conversations about our love for book boys. We were just lucky that the staff at Grill'd were very enthusiastic themselves so they didn't mind that we got a little bit rowdy when it came down to who was team Dimitri and who was team Adrian (it nearly tore our group in half!!). We even had one of the staff take a picture for us, all tourist like.

From left to right: Hannah @ The Girl in a Cafe, Claire @ Claire Reads, Nicole who guest posts for Claire, Rebecca @ Reading Wishes, Me, Jess @ The Tales Compendium and Taneika @ Flipping Through the Pages

Make sure you go and check out their blogs!!

Are you an Aussie blogger? Or even a Perth blogger? Let me know in the comments, I love finding Aussie bloggers!!

Happy reading and don't forget to check out my giveaway!
- Amy

*My 1 Year Blogoversary and Giveaway*

Hi everyone!

I can't believe it has been a whole year since I started blogging. It's just seems crazy to me! In a way it doesn't feel like a whole year has gone past and then at the same time it feels like it is something I have been doing forever.

To celebrate and to thank you all for sticking around I will be hosting a giveaway of exciting september releases!!

Giveaway Details:

• Open Internationally (if Book Depository ships to your country)
  
• Must be a GFC follower!  
  
• Open to new and old followers
  
• The giveaway will be open until 12.00am EST 30/9/2012 
  
• To enter please fill in the below form

The winner/s will have their choice of ONE of the following books:

Alice in Zombieland (White Rabbit Chronicles #1) by Gena Showalter

The Raven Boys (Raven Cycle #1) by Maggie Stiefvater

What's Left of Me (The Hybrid Chronicles #1) by Kat Zhang

Origin by Jessica Khoury

Hidden (Firelight #3) by Sophie Jordan

Stormdancer (The Lotus War #1) by Jay Kristoff
Who I Kissed by Janet Gurtler

Some of these may not be available at the close of the giveaway, but they are available not log after and will be pre-ordered for you.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Please Be Advised:

• I am not responsible for lost or damaged goods from The Book Depository
• No personal information (address) will be stored or used except for the purpose of this giveaway
• Winner will be contacted by email and will have 72 hours to respond with mailing address and book choice or a new winner will be chosen.
• The winner will be picked through rafflecopter by a random number generator (random.org)
• I have the right to change giveaway details as I see fit
• Entrants must be 13 or older


• Covers shown may differ from the cover you will be sent
Goodluck and happy reading!

- Amy

Review: Speechless by Hannah Harrington

Speechless by Hannah Harrington

Release Date: September 2012
Publisher: HarlequinTeen
Source: Received from publisher

Quick Thoughts: Really enjoyed Speechless. A strong story about the consequences of gossiping and bullying

Rating: 4/5 stars

Thank you to the wonderful people at HarlequinTeen for supplying me with a review copy of Speechless. This does not alter my review in any way. All opinions expressed are my own.

This is the first book I have read of Hannah Harrington's, though I have been trying to get my hands on a copy of Saving June!

I want to stop here and look at the cover. It in its self sends is so powerful and thought provoking that I just couldn't wait to dive into this book.

Speechless is thought provoking young adult novel, about the consequences of gossiping and bullying. Teens these days are faced with these everyday, becoming victims of gossip and bullying. Hannah gives a powerful voice to those being bullied. As in the case with Speechless the topic of bullying is Homophobia. Hannah approaches this issue with great care and a well thought out plot line.

Chelsea, the school gossip, and main character, finds herself in a very awkward situation. Having walked in on a boy from her school making out with another boy at a party, she instantly runs downstairs to tell her friends what she saw. Something that Chelsea ordinarily wouldn't think twice about. However, as soon as the words leave her mouth and she see's the reaction of the 'popular' boys at the school she regrets ever opening her mouth.

Chelsea later finds out that the boy from her school has been hospitalised. He was walking home from the party that night and was attacked and brutaly beaten up, winding up in hospital.

The last thing Chelsea says is to the police, revealing who beat up the boy and why. This begins Chelsea's vow of silence. After being the school gossiper for so long, and having now realised what effect it can have, she no longer wants the words to come out of her mouth to cause something like this again.

Chelsea carries on with her school year, becoming shunned by nearly the entire school. Now finds she is being bullied herself. In the only class she has a chance of escaping from all of that is art. But on the first day back at school she realises that Noah's best friend, Sam is in the class with her, not only that, the only seat left is the one next to her. This is going to be a total train wreck. Or so she thinks. You guessed it. She meets a boy, Sam. But he's not just any boy, he's Noah's best friend. Yikes! She feels guilty as hell but finds that Sam 

Speechless is a captivating story about a girl who was once a gossiper and bully herself, becoming the victim, allow with others in the story. Chelsea along the way tries to figure out who really matters, and how to be the type of person she doesn't hate and to just be happy. Through her journey of silence she makes new and unexpected friends and finds herself happier than she has ever been. 

I really loved this book and I just chewed through it so fast. Speechless keeps a good pace, that kept me interested throughout. Chelsea really grows as a character through this book and props to Hannah Harrington for achieving this really effectively!! Love love loved!

So, have you read Speechless? What were your thoughts?

Happy reading!
- Amy