Bookster Reviews

In My Mailbox #20

2012-02-20T14:01:00.000-08:00

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren where bloggers show what book they received that week, via mailbox, library, bought, borrowed or any other way. It's a great way to see who's reading what so make sure you head on over and join in!

Fantastic week I had! I went into a charity shop and got some great books, and my sister gave me a couple of books too! Here they are:

For review
The Look by Sophia Bennett
Eeeeeeep! I was so delighted to get this, not only because of the gorgeous cover and the PINK PAGE EDGES but because Sophia is one of my favourite authors and her book are always brilliant! Look out for a review and blog tour for The Look in March!

Bought
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
Another pink book :) This has a beautiful cover and I've heard it's amazing so I can't wait to read it.

Timeriders: The Eternal War by Alex Scarrow
OMG does this look incredible or what! I've been dying to read this series, and even though it;s the fourth book, I don't care!

Hidden Child by Anne Cassidy
I actually have another of Anne's book that I haven't read, but this was very cheap and everyone says they're good, so... :)

Won/Gift...?
Kitty Slade: Venus Rocks by Fiona Dunbar
This just turned up in the post unexplained with a note saying congratulations! Hmmm, a mystery! As far as I'm aware I haven't one any competitions involving this book, but,I'm not one to turn down a free book! Especially because I love Fiona Dunbar and the first book in this series. And the cover is gorgeous too!

Borrowed
August by Bernard Beckett
This looks good, it hasn't got the best reviews but I'll give it a go - especially because the cover is so cool!

Hunting Lila by Sarah Alderson
YESSSS! Everyone says this is fantastic and I can't wait to read it!

What did you get in your mailbox?

Kiss Date, Love Hate by Luisa Plaja

2012-02-16T10:00:00.000-08:00

Lex Murphy and her friends have complicated relationships. If only there was a way to avoid the dating/hating drama...
When Lex fills a cool new computer game with characters based on herself and her classmates, she makes some 'wishful thinking' adjustments to the profiles. Finally, everyone can be perfectly matched and happy, at least on screen. Love, Life, Looks - it's all under Lex's control in a harmless game.
After all, these changes can't come true... can they?

I love Luisa's books! They are really funny and I always really enjoy them. I had been waiting for Kiss Date, Love Hate to be published for ages and had high expectations for it. And did it live up to them? YES!!! I adored it! It was hilarious, surprising, original, well-written and addictive! And while reading it, sometimes I liked to just flick back to the front of the book and admire the gorgeous cover! Isn't it just fantastic? I love the colours and the little people (what characters do you think they are? I can't work it out! I know the girl must be Lex but what about the others?), the way the title is made out of little pixels, and all the symbols in the middle like the exclamation marks and stars and stuff!

The characters, and the different relationships they had with each other, were one of the best parts of this book for me. They were well thought out, believable and had great personalities. I liked the main character Lex, and felt sorry for her because her old best friend had stolen her boyfriend and her other best friend was too obsessed with exams to spend time with her. So Lex is now best friends with George, an awkward, but kind boy who convinces her to attend a film - making course with him over the mid-term.

Lex was genuine, funny, and relatable, and I really liked her! George was great too, really cute! Lex's ex-boyfriend Matt was - ughh! He was an idiot, to put it politely ;) I couldn't understand why Lex liked him! He was so annoying, and moaning all the time. He was just such a pain, and I was incredibly irritated by him. Well done Luisa, it takes skill to make a reader feel that way about a character! And Lex's ex-friend and and Matt's girlfriend Gemma...I'm not really sure how I felt about her! I didn't *hate* her but I didn't particularly like her either! We didn't get to see a lot of Jess, Lex's other best friend, which was a pity, because when we did 'meet' her, it seemed like she had a lot of character potential!

My favourite character was Drew, who is Jess (one of Lex's friend's) cousins, who Lex finds herself slowly falling in love with. But she keeps telling herself that she wants to be with Matt, not Drew. Drew was much nicer, funnier and all-round better than Matt! He was 'dark' and mysterious, and Lex and him were great together. And when we really found out more about the real him at the end, I liked him even more! Drew was a wonderful character, and he really added to the story!

I have to admit, I wasn't crazy on the film-making-course setting, because I'm not really a film-making sort of person, and it was in the woods, and I just really don't like woods in books. I don't know why, they seem a little...boring! But luckily for me, a lot of the scenes didn't take place on the course. That's my only complaint about the book!

Kiss Date Love Hate, like all of Luisa's books was hilarious! But I think this might have been the funniest yet! There was just so many times when I was laughing out loud read it. And if there's one thing that I like, it's a book that makes me laugh!

I couldn't put this book down! I was reading when I should have been sleeping, which led to not being able to get up in the morning...But it was worth it! The writing is engrossing, making you want to read on. And the whole concept of the book is fantastic. I mean, being able to change all the aspects of your own life and those around you using a video game?! Awesome! I'm sure we'd all love to be able to do that! I know I would! I did think George and Lex accepted it a little too quickly, I mean I would have been shocked and in disbelieve if it happened to me. But I suppose they only had a week to use it, so they had to get used to it quickly! The ending of Kiss Date Love Hate was brilliant, with lots of surprises, some stuff I did see coming and others that came as an absolute shock!

Overall I loved this book. If you are a fan of funny chick-lit with a bit of fantasy thrown in,I know you will love it too!

Rating 4.5/5

Source: For review
Pages: 288
Age group: 12+
Official Publication Date: 2nd February 2012
Publisher: Corgi Childrens
Author Website: Chicklish or www.luisaplaja.co.uk

Top Ten Tuesday #3 Top Ten Books That Broke My Heart a Little

2012-02-14T07:26:00.000-08:00

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Every week bloggers participating create a Top Ten list based on that week's theme. This week's theme is Top Ten Books That Broke My Heart a Little! Now I'm not the type of person that cries reading books. In fact I never have. Not even at the end of Harry Potter! I know you're all thinking 'what a cold-hearted old witch', yeah yeah. But I just don't!The only book that had me even close to tears was :The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson. Sorry, I'm always going on about that book, aren't I?! But it''s just soooooo good! Anyway, it's more movies that make me cry - My Sisters Keeper=tear fest, Dobby dies=tear fest, and so on, you get the picture! However, there is a few books that really brought me down, or 'broke my heart'! So here they are:

1. The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson
Obviously! So sad, yet happy, moving and wonderful! The scene where I had a lump in my throat in the one near the end where Lenny is talking to her grandmother - you'll understand if you've read it!

2. Delirium by Lauren Oliver
This made me pretty sad!

3. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
I'm not even sure if I liked this book! I'm still trying to make up my mind! But it did break my heart a bit...

4. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K Rowling
I probably would have been crying, if I hadn't been expecting Dumbledore's death. Unfortunately, a friend annoyingly told me when I was on like the first book! But I was still very upset! :(

5. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
THIS CLOSE from crying, I was, THIS CLOSE, but...alas, nooo! No tears :) Although I cried plenty during the movie!

And that's all! I couldn't think of more than five books that broke my heart! What about you, readers?

What books broke your heart?

In My Mailbox #19 and a New Blog Button

2012-02-13T13:52:00.000-08:00

IMM
In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren where bloggers show what book they received that week, via mailbox, library, bought, borrowed or any other way. It's a great way to see who's reading what so make sure you head on over and join in!

This is my first IMM since October 2011! I was planning to do a huge IMM, showcasing all of the books I received during my blogging break, but I decided not to, because it would take to long and just be too much trouble! So I'm just going to tell you about the books I got this week:

Library:
Pretty Little Liars #5: Wicked (not pictured)
Pretty Little Liars #6: Killer by Sara Shepard
I love this series! It's amazing :) I've already read Wicked, so I returned it to the library and got Killer which was also brilliant!

CHERUB: Class A by Robert Muchamore
I loved the first in this series, and have wanted to read this for ages, so I was delighted to find it at the library.

Somebody Everybody Listens To by Suzanne Supplee
I hadn't heard of this before, but it sounds good, and I love the cover!

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
I've already read, and have mixed feelings about it...

Taking the Plunge by Helen Bailey
I loved the first in this series, it was hilarious!

Curtain: Poirot's Last Case by Agatha Christie
I've never read anything by Christie before, but she's a classic author so I thought I should read one of her books!

For review:
Medusa Girls #1: Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs
I love this author, and am loving the Ancient Greek theme in books at the moment! I can't wait to read this. The finished cover is beautiful, but I got an ARC which has, admittedly, a pretty cool cover too!

(Sorry for no pictures!)

What did you get in your mailbox?

New Blog Button
I know I've made a couple of blog buttons in the past, and looking back on them, they were kind of ugly, although I thought them fantastic at the time! So I decided to make a NICE blog button, once and for all! So here it is:

You may have seen it already, because it's been on the sidebar for a few days, but I just thought I'd show it to you! So what do you think?

Do you like my new blog button?

Top Ten Tuesday #2 Top Ten Books I'd Hand to Someone Who Says The Don't Like To Read.

2012-02-07T09:30:00.000-08:00

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Every week bloggers participating create a Top Ten list based on that week's theme. This week's theme is 'Top Ten Books I'd Hand to Someone Who Says The Don't Like To Read'. Here's my list:

Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone by J.K. Rowling
The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson
CHERUB: The Recruit by Robert Muchamore
Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard
Cirque Du Freak by Darren Shan
Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
Girl, Missing by Sophie McKenzie
Split by a Kiss by Luisa Plaja
Threads by Sophia Bennett
Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen by Dyan Sheldon

Do you agree with my list? What books would you give to someone who doesn't like reading?

Pendragon Legacy: Book 1 - Sword of Light by Katherine Roberts (short review)

2012-02-04T14:24:00.000-08:00

It is the darkest hour of the darkest Age. King Arthur is dead, killed by his wicked nephew, Mordred. Saxon invaders rampage across the land and forces of evil are gathering. The path to the throne lies open to Arthur's only remaining flesh and blood - Mordred. But there is one with a better claim than Mordred - Arthur's secret child. Brought by Merlin to enchanted Avalon as a baby and raised there for protection, the king's heir must take up a vital quest: to search for the four magical Lights with the power to restore Arthur's soul to his body. Introducing Rhianna Pendragon: unlikely princess and Camelot's last hope.

I really wanted to like this book, I did. But I just...didn't. I tried hard to get into it, but I found it boring! It wasn't a bad book as such, I just didn't feel compelled to read on. The characters were the only part that I liked. They didn't feel very real, but they had good personalities, especially Cai and Rhianna. And Mordred was a great villain too!

I did not actually finish reading this book, so maybe this 'review' isn't fair, but I just thought I owed it to the publisher that sent it to me, the very kind Templar, to write something about it! Now I'm not saying this book is 'bad' or anything, I just didn't really like it, personally. I'm sure others may enjoy it, but it just wasn't for me!

Rating: 1/5

Source: For review
Pages: 480
Age group: 10+
Official Publication Date: 1st February 2012
Publisher: Templar
Author Website: www.katherineroberts.co.uk

Read for British Books Challenge and ABC Reading Challenge 2012

Bookster Reviews on Darren Shan website!

2012-02-04T09:29:00.000-08:00

I don't know if you know, but I am a huge fan of Darren Shan, a children/ teen and adult fantasy/horror author and was absolutely DELIGHTED to see he mentioned my blog on his website, in his February newsletter. I included his two of his books, Ocean of Blood and Palace of the Damned on my Top Ten Book of 2011 post and he saw and mentioned my blog in the newsltter! *does happy dance* I just thought I'd write a short post to let you know about it. Darren is a brill author, read his books! Check out the newsletter and the rest of his great website here. See you!

Interview with author Luisa Plaja!

2012-02-02T12:13:00.000-08:00

Today, I welcome to Bookster Reviews, the one, the only, Luisa Plaja! Luisa is the author of four books,Split by a Kiss, Extreme Kissing,Swapped by a Kiss, and her latest book,Kiss Date Love Hate, available to buy (which you should!) from 2nd February this year. She also runs teen fiction blog Chicklish, and wrote a book for interactive e- fiction site, Fiction Express, called Diary of a Mall Girl. She wrote a short story featured in the short story book Truth or Dare. Luisa is great, she is lovely and is a fantastic author. She kindly agreed to let me ask her a few questions, and here are her answers. Enjoy!

1. Tell us a bit about yourself...
Hello! I'm Luisa and I love reading, writing and everything to do with words. I was born in Scotland and grew up in Italy and England, and I've always wished I could be an ice-skater but... yeah, no. I've also always wanted to be a writer. Yay!

2. Did anyone (or anything) in particular inspire you to become an author?
Really it was a love of reading and of stories. I fell in love with books at an early age and I always wanted to tell my own stories. Later in life, I was inspired and encouraged by my fabulous writing friends. (You'll see some of their names listed in the acknowledgments of my books!) Readers and book bloggers also inspire me.

3. Which character from your books do you think you are most like?
There are aspects of me in all of them, but the answer is probably Jo from Split by a Kiss. And I mean Jo the Nerd, of course. :)

4. Could you tell us about your new book, Kiss Date Love Hate?
It's the story of a girl and a boy who make profiles for themselves and their friends in a computer game, make 'wishful' alterations to the settings and then find that the changes come true in real life, giving them the power to control their friends' lives and loves. It's a novel about changes, romance, friendship, family and love.

5. How did you come up with the idea for Kiss Date Love Hate?
The idea was triggered by lots of things, including the movie Jurassic Park, but one of the main inspirations was watching my then 13-year-old niece playing a Sims game, and thinking, "What if..."

6. Was it hard to get your first book published?
Yes and no. I'd spent years and years thinking that publication was an impossible dream, so that part was hard. But when I finally plucked up the courage to submit the novel that became Split by a Kiss, I ended up floating through the process... in a bit of a dream-like state, come to think of it!

7. Are your characters based on anyone you know?
Of course not! *runs away* ;)
No, seriously, they're all from my imagination. I promise.

8. Hard question now! What is your favourite book of all time? Or if it's too hard your favourite books!
It's really, really hard, but if I absolutely have to narrow it down to just one novel, it's Masha by Mara Kay, which I read hundreds of times when I was little. It's out of print now. Sob. You can read more about it here: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/327184.Masha

9. What did you do before you became a writer?
Lots of wordy jobs! I worked on dictionaries, defining words and idioms. I worked in television subtitling for people with hearing difficulties. I worked on linguistic computer software. And more...

10. What would be your dream job if you weren't a writer now?
Anything to do with words, really! Although I've also often vaguely fancied being a long-distance lorry driver. I'm sure I'd dream up stories as I trundled up and down the country...

11. Finally, what is your best advice for aspiring writers?
Read a lot, write a lot, enjoy it... and don't be put off!

Quick round!

Twitter or Facebook? I'm on both, but... yes, Twitter.

Tea or Coffee? Tea! Tea! And more tea!

Chocolate or Sweets? Again both, but sweets win in the end. Chocolates often get a bit too fancy for me. ;)

Mystery or Fantasy? Er... argh... Stories! LOL

Reading or Writing? Writing! Especially if there are other people around and they're also writing, so that I can read their stories... *totally cheats*

Thank you very much for your wonderful interview questions, Cliona!
You're welcome Luisa, it was great having you here!

Luisa's books: Split by a Kiss

Swapped by a Kiss

Extreme Kissing

Kiss Date, Love Hate

Diary of a Mall Girl

Truth or Dare (edited by Liz Miles)

Totally Lucy: Best Friends Forever by Kelly McKain

2012-01-26T13:10:00.000-08:00

Hi! Lucy Jessica Hartley here with something A-MAZING to tell you! I've decided to turn our yawn-oramic school disco into a super-stylish High School Prom! Jules and Tilda, my fab BFFs are helping me organize a prom king and queen competition, and we're having actual ballroom dancing, AND I'm going to make my own mega-ly gorgeous dress. Plus, Simon Driscott is finding us a cool DJ. It's soooo exciting!

Step out in style with Lucy Jessica Hartley, as sneaky schoolmates and stricty teachers threaten to ruin her prom-night perfection.

I love the cover of this book! It's so bright and eye-catching! It's a cover that appeals to younger girls, but I still love it! I knew what to expect from this book, but that didn't make it any less enjoyable. It was sweet, clever and funny. It had fantastic characters, a story line that was easy to follow, and fabulous pictures and illustrations, that really added to the books layout and my enjoyment of the story!

Lucy was such a fun character! She was cool, stylish, funny and instantly likeable. I loved it when she had her little dramatic moments - she sort of reminded me of me! Lucy's 'BFF', Tilda and Jules (which I don't understand, because it should have been BFF's, plural, cause she had two best friends, but the book kept saying BFF...Oh well...) were cool too. Tilda was sweet and kind, and Jules was sassy, but she got on my nerves a bit, because she was too moody! The three girls made a fabulous trio of 'BFF' and they were great.

The whole 'American Prom' theme was brilliant! It sounded so fun and different, I would love to attend one! One of the main parts of the book was the three girls trying to get dates to the prom, which hilarity ensuing! I was just waiting for Simon Driscott, Lucy's 'sort of friend with no fancying going on whatsoever' to ask her to the prom. It was so obvious that he liked her, and I felt like shaking Lucy and yelling at her: 'he does like you! And you should like him too! When will you pick up his very obvious signs?!'.
Yeah, I'm weird like that :P

I've already mentioned this, but I just wanted to say again that this book is really hilarious! Lucy was always coming out with these, random, crazy, yet comical thing and she drew some funny pictures which had me laughing aloud!

I loved this book! I really enjoyed it, more than I thought it would. While it is aimed at girls around 9+, I think some teen girl might enjoy it as a quick, light read to pass the time, or if they're in need of a laugh. This is the last book in the 'Totally Lucy' series (the tenth) and I would definitely recommend it! I can't wait to read the other books in the series - they all look fab, and I hope they're as good as this one!

5/5

Source: Won
Pages: 192
Age group: 9+
Official Publication Date: 28th November 2008
Publisher: Usborne Publishing
Author Website: www.kellymckain.co.uk

Very Late First Blogoversary Bookster Reviews!

2012-01-24T13:01:00.001-08:00

Happy belated birthday Bookster Reviews! It was actually the blog's 'birthday' on November 21st, but since my computer was broken then I'm doing a post now instead! So! First of all, before I thank everyone who helped me the past year with blogging, I just want to say I can't believe I've been blogging this long. I never thought I would get so many followers, and so many comments and it just means so much to me that all of you actually like reading my reviews, and my posts and everything. I know I don't have many followers compared to a lot of blogs that are a year old, but 76 is plenty for me! (But I still appreciate new followers!)

Now on to the 'thank yous':

Authors:
Luisa Plaja for being my second follower, being the first person to send me books to review, for being a fantastic blogger, recommending books to me, for helping me get started and just supporting me all through my blogging journey. And for writing fantastic books! Thank you so much Luisa, you are the nicest author ever :)

Sophia Bennett for letting me be part of her blog tour, my very first blog tour, and sending me her book to review. And for being so lovely and an amazing author.

All the authors at Girls Heart Books, especially Susie Day, Sarah Webb and Jo Cotterhill, for being helpful, giving me and loads of other people writing tips, and for writing brilliant, funny and sometimes crazy posts!

Publishers:
Thank you to the following publishers for sending me books to review, and letting me take part in blog tours they were hosting :) :

Andersen Press
Chicken House
Templar

Bloggers:
Oh, there are so many bloggers I could mention! I can't thank you all though, we would be here for hours! - so I'm just going to thank a few:

Zoe from Bookhi
Me and Zoe started blogging around the same time, and she is one of my favourite bloggers, and really nice! She is so lovely and helpful, and has a great blog. Thanks so much Zoe, you're fantastic :)

Amber from The Mile Long Bookshelf
Amber's blog was the first blog I read. I hadn't even heard of blogging before I read her blog, and she told me how to set up a blog, and helped me in the first couple of months :) So thank you Amber!

Becky from The Bookette
Becky was my first follower, and gave me advice on all kinds of blogging stuff. She hosted the British Books Challenge in 2011, which kind of motivated me to keep blogging after the first month or two. Thanks Becky!

Kristi from The Story Siren
The Story Siren has been around for over 4 years, and on her blog are some incredibly helpful tips about blogging, which really helped me throughout the year!

Michelle from Fluttering Butterflies
A fabulous blog, a fabulous blogger! Michelle always does such brilliant reviews and posts and she is a lovely, and I love to chat to her!

Jen from The Girl in the Purple Pants
Jen is so nice, so cool and does THE COOLEST blog posts :)

Megan from The Book Addicted Girl
Megan writes fantastic reviews which are a pleasure to read and she's really nice :)

Another few I blogs/bloggers I would like to thank are Jenny from Wondrous Reads, Rachel from Booktastic Reviews, and Cat from Life Through a Cat's Eyes.

And loads of other people, but I just can't mention everyone! So that's my blogoversary post, I hope you enjoyed reading it! Bye! :)

Lolly Luck Blog Tour: Interview with Ellie Daines!

2012-01-21T09:51:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! Today on the blog I am welcoming Ellie Daines, author of the fabulous book Lolly Luck (see my review here) as part of the Lolly Luck blog tour. If you haven't read Lolly Luck yet, make sure you do! Ellie answered some questions I had. I hope you enjoy reading her answers as much as I did! (sorry there's no pictures in the post, my computer was acting up today >:(. I will edit it in the next couple of days and put in pictures, when it will work again!)

1. Hi Ellie! It's great to have you on the blog today! For those who haven't read Lolly Luck, could you tell us a bit about it?

Lolly Luck is about an optimistic young girl who's incredibly lucky - she's always winning things and finding money - but she's soon questioning her luck when things start going wrong for her family. First her dad loses his job then the family lose their home and soon there's and even bigger shock in store for Lolly which turns her world upside down.

2. When did you decide you wanted to become an author?

I've dreamed about becoming an author ever since I was really young. At school I used to love writing short stories and entering them into competitions. During my years at university I wrote a couple of stories but they didn't really go anywhere. Still, writing these stories did help me find my writing voice. However it was only when I started writing Lolly Luck that I thought to myself I'd like to pursue a career as an author.

3. What was the inspiration behind Lolly Luck?

My original idea for Lolly Luck came from a personal experience. I'd gone for a web editing job with a company and had been invited for an interview only to receive a call from my recruitment consultant a couple of days before the interview telling me it had been cancelled because the person who was supposed to be leaving changed their mind and the company were happy for him to stay on. I was very disappointed at the time because it did seem like it'd be the perfect job. However I thought that the whole fiasco would make a really dramatic moment in a story and I wrote the scene where Lolly's dad receives similar news and the rest of the story pretty much evolved from that one sub-plot. This scene is also a critical one because what follows is a devastating revelation that changes Lolly's life forever.

4. Do you ever base your characters on yourself or people that you know?

Yes. Certainly with the character of Lolly I based much of her personality on my childhood self. Like her I was very lucky as a youngster and I even had a knack for for dreaming winning lottery numbers. And when writing about Lolly's friendship with her best friend Nancy, I took inspiration from my own friendship with my best friend at primary school, a girl called Dinah, who's still a good friend of my today.

5. Who were your writing idols growing up and who are they now?

Like most kids I was a massive fan of Roald Dahl and I do think reading his books as a child encouraged me to put pen to paper myself. But never had I imagined that one day my book would be in a bookshop right next to my literary hero's books, which is an amazing feeling. Authors that I admire today include Andrea Levy and Terry McMillan

6. What is your favourite things about writing books and being an author?

I absolutely love the thrill of creating characters, exploring themes and simply getting emotionally involved with the story. I also think that as an author you really have to love what you do to keep that motivation going in order to complete your novel. For me, there are days when I'm so excited about what I'm writing that I don't really want to go to sleep and I can't wait to wake up in the morning.

7. What was the publishing process of Lolly Luck like?

Interesting. Like many authors I had my fair share of rejection letters especially when I was trying to look for an agent. But Eve White came back to me and she really liked the style of my writing so I signed with her. She later approached my editor Charlie Sheppard at Andersen Press who was really keen on the book even though I hadn't finished it yet and I was offered a two-book deal.

8. How does it feel seeing your own book in bookshops?

It's wonderful. I'd say having your book on the shelf of a bookstore is what most authors dream about. The shelf is effectively our platform, giving us the opportunity to share our work with the rest of the world.

9. What authors and books do you like to read?

I like to read a range of books and I love chick-lit novels and one of my favourite chick-lit author would have to be Carole Matthews. The most recent book I've read is A Cupboard Full of Coats By Yvette Edwards who's also represented by Eve White. It's a stunning book and incredibly moving.

10. Finally, what advice would you give to aspiring writers reading this blog?

I'd say try to set aside some time each week or every day to do some writing. Write about subjects that interest you and don't start your editing until you've actually finished your story because it's very easy to get bogged down in the editing, which will only slow you down. And finally, never leave the house without a pen and paper/notebook because you never know when inspiration will strike!

Thanks Ellie! Check out the next stop on the tour tomorrow at Bookhi!

You can buy Lolly Luck here or here.

Lolly Luck by Ellie Daines

2012-01-14T13:31:00.000-08:00

I'm Lolly Luck by name, lucky by nature

I'm the luckiest person I know, and the luckiest person everyone else knows.

But Lolly's luck begins to turn. When her dad loses his job and the family home, Lolly thinks things can't get any worse. Then she overhears her parents arguing and learns a secret that will change her life for ever...

I knew before I began reading Lolly Luck that I would enjoy I was going to like it. The plot sounded great, and the cover was cool (Is it just me or does this cover remind you of the new Cathy Cassidy covers?!). And I was proved right! I loved this book, there wasn't a bit I didn't enjoy! I liked the little twist that was Lolly being lucky. It made the book more interesting for me. There are a lot of books with a similar plot to Lolly Luck, but that ((and a few other things) made it that bit different.

I liked the character of Lolly but she wasn't my favourite. She was nice, but I thought she seemed a bit spoilt, near the beginning of the book. Like, she was cross because she didn't get her bike (her birthday present) straight away the morning of her birthday, she had to wait until the evening. I mean, she was lucky to get a bike at all! Some children have nothing! And I thought she was a bit whiny too. But I suppose she did have quite a lot to deal with, considering she was only eleven! Aside from all that, however, I did like her, honestly!

The characters were well thought-out and believable. My favourite was either Zola, Lolly's older sister or her best friend Nancy. Zola was a typical older sister, a bit mean to Lolly sometimes! But really she was a good sister, and helped and supported Lolly. You could see that the two sisters were close and they really had to pull together during the family's problems. Their relationship was great. And Lolly's best friend Nancy was also really kind and supportive, although she seemed very mature for eleven!

I read this book in one sitting, it was surprisingly hard to put down! It is a quick simple read but it has more depth and meaning than I had expected. I think a lot of children reading this book would be able to relate to Lolly and her family's financial situation because of the world wide recession at the moment. I thought it was brilliant in that sense. The book was very real, something refreshing in middle grade fiction! I think fans of Jacqueline Wilson will like it.
Overall this is a realistic, relatable book with a brilliant story and fantastic characters!

                                               Rating: 4/5

Source: For Review
Pages: 192
Age Group: 10+
Official Publication Date: 5th January 2012
Publisher: Andersen Press
Author Website: http://www.elliedaines.com/

Come back to Bookster Reviews on the 21st January for the Lolly Luck blog tour to see an interview with Ellie Daines herself!

P.S. I just want to say, this is my first review in exactly 3 months! I hope you all like it :)

Top Ten Books of 2011

2012-01-10T11:21:00.000-08:00

Since I missed out on the all the end of year blogging excitement *glum face* I'm going to do my own late post! So here are my ten favourite books that I read in 2011. In no particular order!

1.Girl, Missing by Sophie McKenzie

2.Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

3. CHERUB: The Recruit by Robert Muchamore

4.The Chronicles of Narnia: The Magicians Nephew by C.S. Lewis

5.Palace of the Damned by Darren Shan
6. Pretty Little Liars 1-4 by Sara Shepard (They were all brilliant)
7. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
8. Ocean of Blood by Darren Shan
9. Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs
10. The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

I didn't put in pictures of all of the books, I hope you don't mind! It's just that it takes too long and I find it really hard to put mulptiple pictures underneath one another in posts. Yeah, I'm not very smart :)

So do you agree with my list? Anything you would add on? What was/were your favourite book(s) of 2011?

I'm Back!!! And some New Years resolutions

2012-01-07T13:24:00.000-08:00

I'm back!!! Woohoo!!! ( in case any of you didn't see my last post, my computer is broken! It's still broken but I'm using an old laptop which a friend fixed up so I'm very happy!) I really missd blogging! Not being able to check blogger every day, not being able to post and missing out on all the great new book releases! And esecially because it was the end of the year and everyone was doing their best of 2011 posts and I missed out on it all *sob* But it's a new year, ( happy new year everyone by the way!) and this year will be Bookster Reviews' best year yet! I'm really going to try. Hard to make this blog the best it can be! I've made some blogging new year resolutions ( which I probably won't stick to but, oh well!). I've also included below the resolutions a little thing about what you can expect on the blog this month!

New Years Blogging Resolutions

Try to write at least 3-4 reviews a month.
Reach 100 followers! Hopefully :) By the way, congrats to Zoe at Bookhi who has reached 100+ followers! You deserved it Zoe :) Bookhi is one of my favourite blogs and Zoe is a great blogger and a really nice person!. So if you're not already following Bookhi, do so now!
Reply to e-mails faster! I am really slow at replying to e-mails! I always takes ages, which probably makes people think I am rude! I don't know why I'm so slow! Just laziness I suppose... :)
Do more posts, not just reviews and memes. Stuff like discussion posts, interviews and other random stuff!
Discover some great new blogs that I can follow.
Stop buying so many books, and reading my own! During my blogging break I read loads of my own books, and my TBR pile got considerably smaller and I was very proud of myself altogether! But then over the Christmas holiday I bought and received so many books that the pile is just as big as it was before Christmas, if not bigger
Interact with other bloggers more. Just even a friendly e-mail to say hi would be nice, complimenting their reviews or recommending books to the blogger. I'm very bad like that, I really should make more of an effort! I would like to but it's just laziness again... :)

What to expect this month on Bookster Reviews:
Reviews:
Lolly Luck by Ellie Daines
Sword of Light by Katherine Roberts
(maybe) Totally Lucy: Best Friends Forvever by Kelly McKain

Memes:
One big In My Mailbox post at the end of the month, showing all the books I've received since my last IMM post.

Other:
Bookster Reviews Belated Blogoversary Post
Lolly Luck blog tour: Author Interview with Ellie Daines
(maybe) Best Books of 2011

So there you go! My first post since November! Oh it's good to be back :)

Quickie

2011-11-29T08:18:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! This has to be a short post because I'm in an internet cafe and my time is nearly up! I'm sooo sooo sorry I didn't do a blogoversary post! My computer is broken :( I think it will be a while until it is fixed (or I have to get a new one!) so this means I will not be doing any posts at all for a while. I know, tragic! But the minute my computer is back I will write a lovely long Happy Birthday Bookster Reviews post. And lots more! I am missing you all and thanks Luisa for your lovely comment! Bye bye!

Taking a Break...

2011-11-04T14:08:00.000-07:00

Hi, all of my followers and readers! I have decided to take a break from blogging... Blogging, for me, just seems to have lost its spark. I still love it, but writing reviews isn't fun for me anymore. It's more like a chore... I want to enjoy it if I'm going to do it, you know? I think if I take a break for a while, when I come back it might be fun and exciting again. It is fun, but just not as fun as when I started blogging. So I will be taking a break for about a month. I will still read and comment on other blogs, though!

It is my blogoversary (yay!) on the 21st November, so I may do a post then, but otherwise you probably won't see any more posts on Bookster Reviews until early December. Hopefully there will be lots of reviews then! Don't miss me too much! :)

In My Mailbox #18

2011-10-30T06:31:00.000-07:00

This week was great! Templar e-mailed me with a catalogue of all the books they will be releasing soon and I got to choose which oens I could read and review! How awesome are they?!

Here are the books I got this week:

For Review

Forgive My Fins
Fins are Forever (ARC) by Tera Lynn Childs
I have really wanted to read these for ages, so I was delighted to receive them!

Frogspell
Cauldron Spells (ARC) by C.J. Busby
These look really fun! I can't wait to read them :)

Pendragon Legacy Book 1: Sword of Light (ARC) by Katherine Roberts
I haven't read an Arthurian-theme book before, but this sounds brilliant!

Borrowed
Pretty Little Liars: Perfect by Sara Shepard (not pictured)
I love this series! I have already read and LOVED this book! I had to give it back to the person I had borrrowed it off, though so that's why it's not in the picture.

By the way, I am going away for a few days so I will not be able to reply to any e-mails or comments or anything-sorry! I'll be back on Wednesday though, so don't worry!

What did you get in your mailbox?

2011-10-30T06:27:00.001-07:00

A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz

2011-10-14T14:41:00.000-07:00

Reader: beware. Warlocks with dark spells, hunters with deadly aim, and bakers with ovens retrofitted for cooking children lurk within these pages.
But if you dare, turn the page and learn the true story of Hansel and Gretel - the story behind (and beyond) the bread crumbs, edible houses and outwitted witches.
Come on in. It may be frightening, it's certainly bloody, and it's definitely not for the faint of heart, but unlike those other fairy tales you know, this one is true.

I wasn't sure at first if I was going to like this book or not. It is aimed at a younger audience than the age group I normally read books for. I thought it would just be an OK, quick read. But I was SO WRONG! I LOVED this book! It was just brilliant! It was witty, and fun and AWESOME!

I liked the way that there was all these fairy tales all beginning with 'Once upon a time...' or 'Once there was a...' and so on, but there was still one big plot throughout the book. It was done fantastically, the way all of the story connected together! I haven't read Grimm's Fairy Tales, so I don't know how much of A Tale Dark and Grimm sticks to the original stories, and how much came from the author's imagination. But it doesn't matter because it's all brilliant anyway!

This is really the full story of Hansel and Gretel, and I loved reading about all their adventures. The witch-that-tries-to-cook-the-kids story, the one that we all know, takes up barely one chapter! My favourite story has to be the one about the Hansel and the Devil, which is called The Three Golden Hairs. It's so funny! And sort of terrifying...

Which brings me to this - the book is actually quite scary! At the start of the book, and nearly every chapter, the author warns the reader that it's going to be bloody, and scary, and that all the little children should be sent to bed before we read on. Which of course makes the reader want to read on even more! But anyway, I was actually kind of creeped out by this book! Not in a bad way though! It takes serious writing skills to make a reader feel scared, so good one Mr.Gidwitz!

Hansel and Gretel had many different parents and families throughout the story, and one of the best things about the book, along with the humour, the writing, and the way the authors talks to the readers, was the relationship between the two siblings. They had a strong brother/sister relationship, and went through years of tough but adventurous lives together. They were very close, and I thought their relationship was portrayed well.

A Tale Dark and Grimm is just amazing. It is a humorous, entertaining, addictive, scary and all round brilliant book! And if my review hasn't convinced you to read it yet, how about the first line...?
'Once upon a time, fairy tales were awesome.'

Oh yeah.

Rating: 5/5

Source: For review
Pages: 296
Age Group: Hmmm...it's a bit scary, so 10+!
Official Publication Date: 4th August 2011
Publisher: Andersen Press
Author Website: www.adamgidwitz.com

In My Mailbox #17

2011-10-10T10:54:00.000-07:00

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren where bloggers show what book they received that week, via mailbox, library, bought, borrowed or any other way. It's a great way to see who's reading what so make sure you head on over and join in!

This week, I met....wait for it...wait for it...bom bom bommm...DARREN SHAN!!! WOOOH! (I am so excited because he is the first author I've ever met! But I think even if this wasn't the first time meeting an author, I would still be excited!) I was so happy! Darren is the author that got me into reading! Every single book he's ever written is brilliant! I knew I had to meet him at some point in my life. And so I was looking at his website, and he was doing a couple of signings in Ireland, so I went to one of them! I was only lining up for about 30 mins, and he was really nice! He signed all *coughtwenty-twocough* of my books for me. I felt sorry for the people behind me...

I bought Darren's new book, Palace of the Damned, the third in the Larten Crepsley saga. He signed that too :) I asked him about the new series he has been hinting about on his website, and he told me he couldn't say anything yet, but he should be announcing it on his blog sometimes this week. So I'm uber-excited! But unfortunately, I forget to mention to him about my blog! Argh! I think I'm going to write him a letter though. I've been meaning to anyway! By the way, if you haven't read anything by Darren Shan yet, you must! I would recommend starting with Lord Loss, or Cirque Du Freak if you're not a fan of horror!

OK, so to the point! I just got two books this week. They are...

Bought

Palace of the Damned by Darren Shan
I love this series! I am really looking forward to starting this!

Borrowed

And By The Way... by Denise Deegan
My friend gave me this and told me it was brilliant. I'm been wanting to read it anyway, so I suppose I better give it a go!

So that's my mailbox! I might show some of the signed books next week, because this week, I couldn't be bothered taking a picture and uploading and going to all that trouble! I had a good week anyway!

What did you get in you mailbox?

In My Mailbox #16

2011-10-02T11:51:00.000-07:00

Day of the Assassins by Johnny O'Brien

2011-09-22T10:15:00.000-07:00

The Year: 1914, The Place: Sarajevo, The Mission: assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Jack Christie and his friend Angus are caught up in a major event that will dramatically change the future. Should they intervene? And, more importantly, will they survive? Join Jack and his friends on a dangerous chase across pre-war Europe to the rain-sodden trenches of World War I, as the future of mankind hangs in the balance.

When I was approached about reviewing Day of the Assassins, I thought it would be an exciting and educational (in a fun way!) book. And although, at times I did find it a bit boring, and a little confusing, it proved to be an enjoyable read!

Angus and Jack made such a pair! Angus was confident, funny, loyal and a little bit of an idiot. But I loved him! He was a fantastic character, my favourite in the book. Jack was the quieter, more intelligent of the two. He was kind and loyal. I liked his character as well. Another character I thought was fantastic was the professor! He was a bit crazy, but really good to the two boys. And Anna, the woman from 1914. There wasn't many girl characters so she was great! The way she was fighter, and didn't just sit back and let the men do everything!

The writing was exquisite. The descriptions were very exact. For some people, that is the type of writing they would like the most, but for me...it just didn't work. I found the descriptions a bit too long and tedious. At times I even skipped over little bits of it. Also, the words that were used were very.. Ehh...Big. OMG I can't believe I can't think of a better word! Sorry! I'm awful :) And I'm meant to be good at English?! Anyway, the words were very big for the targeted age group (9-11) and I don't think a lot of children that age would understand them. Even I didn't understand a few...

This was a book with a lot of machinery and guns in it. Guns, cars and tanks and all that aren't quite my thing, so I didn't understand a lot of the terms used! I think kids who are interested in that type of stuff would love this book, but I do wish that there were more explanations of the different machinery for those of us who don't know anything about stuff like that (in other words, me)!

I liked the way you didn't know who were the bad guys and who were the good guys. It added a bit of mystery, to go alongside the adventure, to the story. Because VIGIL'S cause seemed better, but the Revisionist people seemed nicer. It was really hard to tell who was right! But in the end I think Jack and Angus made the right choice.

The book was really good at the beginning and the end. I found the middle part a bit boring. In fact, none of it was 'gripping' as such. It was enjoyable, but I didn't feel, you know, compelled to turn the page at any point. I stopped reading it for a while when I got bored, and read another couple of other books, but then when I started reading this again I enjoyed it much more! I think I just needed a break to read something lighter!

Overall, I did like Day of the Assasins, but I just don't think it was my type of book. I think younger girls and boys, but maybe more boys, would really enjoy it. It is educational too, in a subtle way! Reading it, I even found myself learning a lot!

Rating: 3.5/5

Source: For review
Pages: 224
Age Group: 9+
Official Publication Date: First 1st June 2009, this edition 1st February 2010
Publisher: Templar
Author Website: www.johnnyobrien.net or www.jackchristieadventures.com

In My Mailbox #15

2011-09-19T12:08:00.000-07:00

Won
Million Dollar Mates: Catwalk Queen by Cathy Hopkins
I won this off the brilliant Girls Heart Books website, and was really happy! I love Cathy Hopkins! I haven't read the others in this series, but I'll just get them at the library. :)

For Review/Gift
Ask Amy Green:Love and Other Drama-Ramas by Sarah Webb
Squeeeeeeeeee :) I love this series so much, and was really looking forward to this being released. And then the brilliant Luisa Plaja e-mailed me and asked if I wanted to review it for Chicklish! I of course said yes and here I am! I've already read and loved this!

Cinnamon Girl: This Way to Paradise by Cathy Hopkins
I've read the second and the third in this series, but never the first! The lovely Luisa also sent me this and the book below, after seeing them on my wishlist. I can't wait to read it!

Extreme Kissing by Luisa Plaja
I LOVED Luisa's other two books, and her book on Fiction Express so I was so happy when I got this! Signed and dedicated to me too :D I am really looking forward to starting it!

So that's my mailbox for this week. Not bad :) I am really happy with what I got!

What did you get in your mailbox?

Top 100 YA Books

2011-09-16T09:49:00.000-07:00

Here is the list of the 'Top 100 YA Books'! This list was compiled by Word Fiend and All the Days of. I first saw it posted on That Book Blog and just though I would re-post it, just in case you haven't seen it already! The books and series I have read are written in bold.

Total Books I Have Read: 13/1000. Wow, is that all?! Including all of the series books though it is 29 books.

Alex Finn – Beastly

Alice Sebold – The Lovely Bones

Ally Carter – Gallagher Girls (1, 2, 3, 4)

Ally Condie – Matched

Alyson Noel – The Immortals (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)

Anastasia Hopcus – Shadow Hills

Angie Sage – Septimus Heap (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)

Ann Brashares – The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (1, 2, 3, 4)

Anna Godbersen – Luxe (1, 2, 3, 4)

Anthony Horowitz – Alex Rider (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)

Aprilynne Pike – Wings (1, 2, 3)

Becca Fitzpatrick – Hush, Hush (1, 2)

Brandon Mull – Fablehaven (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

Brian Selznick – The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Cassandra Clare – The Mortal Instruments (1, 2, 3, 4)

Carrie Jones – Need (1, 2, 3)

Carrie Ryan – The Forest of Hands and Teeth (1, 2, 3, 4)

Christopher Paolini – Inheritance (1, 2, 3, 4)

Cinda Williams Chima – The Heir Chronicles (1, 2, 3)

Colleen Houck – Tigers Saga (1, 2)

Cornelia Funke – Inkheart (1, 2, 3)

Ellen Hopkins – Impulse

Eoin Colfer – Artemis Fowl (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)

Faraaz Kazi – Truly, Madly, Deeply

Frank Beddor – The Looking Glass Wars (1, 2, 3)

Gabrielle Zevin – Elsewhere

Gail Carson Levine – Fairest

Holly Black – Tithe (1, 2, 3)

J.K. Rowling – Harry Potter (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)

James Dashner – The Maze Runner (1, 2)

James Patterson – Maximum Ride (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)

Jay Asher – Thirteen Reasons Why

Jeanne DuPrau – Books of Ember (1, 2, 3, 4)

Jeff Kinney – Diary of a Wimpy Kid (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, )

John Boyne – The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

John Green – An Abundance of Katherines

John Green – Looking for Alaska

John Green – Paper Towns

Jonathan Stroud – Bartimaeus (1, 2, 3, 4)

Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl – Caster Chronicles (1, 2)

Kelley Armstrong – Darkest Powers (1, 2, 3)

Kristin Cashore – The Seven Kingdoms (1, 2)

Lauren Kate – Fallen (1, 2, 3)

Lemony Snicket – Series of Unfortunate Events (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)

Libba Bray – Gemma Doyle (1, 2, 3)

Lisa McMann – Dream Catcher (1, 2, 3)

Louise Rennison – Confessions of Georgia Nicolson (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)

M.T. Anderson – Feed

Maggie Stiefvater – The Wolves of Mercy Falls (1, 2, 3)

Margaret Peterson Haddix – Shadow Children (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)

Maria V. Snyder – Study (1, 2, 3)

Markus Zusak – The Book Thief

Markus Zusak – I am the Messenger

Mark Haddon – The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

Mary Ting – Crossroads

Maureen Johnson – Little Blue Envelope (1, 2)

Meg Cabot – All-American Girl (1, 2)

Meg Cabot – The Mediator (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)

Meg Cabot – The Princess Diaries (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)

Meg Rosoff – How I Live Now

Megan McCafferty – Jessica Darling (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

Megan Whalen Turner – The Queen’s Thief (1, 2, 3, 4)

Melina Marchetta – On the Jellicoe Road

Melissa de la Cruz – Blue Bloods (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

Melissa Marr – Wicked Lovely (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

Michael Grant – Gone (1, 2, 3, 4)

Nancy Farmer – The House of the Scorpion

Neal Shusterman – Unwind

Neil Gaiman – Coraline

Neil Gaiman – Stardust

Neil Gaiman – The Graveyard Book

P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast – House of Night (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)

Philip Pullman – His Dark Materials (1, 2, 3)

Rachel Caine – The Morganville Vampires (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)

Rachel Cohn & David Levithan – Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist

Richelle Mead – Vampire Academy (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)

Rick Riordan – Percy Jackson and the Olympians (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

Rom LcO’Feer – Somewhere Carnal Over 40 Winks

S.L. Naeole – Grace (1, 2, 3, 4)

Sabrina Bryan & Julia DeVillers – Princess of Gossip

Sarah Dessen – Along for the Ride

Sarah Dessen – Lock and Key

Sarah Dessen – The Truth about Forever

Sara Shepard – Pretty Little Liars (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)

Scott Westerfeld – Leviathan (1, 2)

Scott Westerfeld – Uglies (1, 2, 3)

Shannon Hale – Books of a Thousand Days

Shannon Hale – Princess Academy

Shannon Hale – The Books of Bayern (1, 2, 3, 4)

Sherman Alexie & Ellen Forney – The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Simone Elkeles – Perfect Chemistry (1, 2, 3)

Stephenie Meyer – The Host

Stephenie Meyer – Twilight Saga (1, 2, 3, 4)

Sue Monk Kidd – The Secret Life of Bees

Susan Beth Pfeffer – Last Survivors (1, 2, 3)

Suzanne Collins – Hunger Games (1, 2, 3)

Suzanne Collins – Underland Chronicles (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

Terry Pratchett – Tiffany Aching (1, 2, 3, 4)

Tonya Hurley – Ghost Girl (1, 2, 3)

Wendelin Van Draanen – Flipped

OK, to tell you the truth, I only read about half of the third Inkheart book (Inkdeath) and about three quarters of Stardust :) But I'm counting them anyway!
Now, this is just my opinion, but I really think Robert Muchamore's 'CHERUB' series and The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson should have been on this list! I was kind of disappointed that they weren't :( Especially CHERUB because that's a very popular and well known series, so I thought it would be. Oh well!

What do you think of this list? Have you read many of the books on it? Which ones? What books do you think should be on the list, that aren't? And what books do you think shouldn't be on this list?

P.S. This list is in alphatbetic order, so it's not like 'Beastly' is the best YA book ever, and 'The Lovely Bones' is the second best and so on, it's just laid out that way! I, stupidly, didn't even notice this at first!

Day of Vengeance by Johnny O' Brien Blog Tour: Guest Post!

2011-09-11T11:00:00.000-07:00

Today I welcome Johnny O'Brien to Bookster Reviews, as part of the Day of Vengeance blog tour! Day of Vengeance, published by Templar, is the latest installment in the exciting Jack Christie Adventures. On this stop, Johnny will be guest posting on his favourite periods of history. And now over to Johnny...

History is a brilliant subject and teachesgreat skills (and is invaluable for pub quizzes which becomes quite importantin later life).

As you learn more about history, yourealise that every period has its own fascination – amazing characters,extraordinary events. Trouble is, history is so vast that there is always loadsof stuff that you will never know.

I suppose three of my favourite periods arethose that feature in the three Jack Christie books so far:

Dayof the Assassins is the first in the series and isbased around the assassination in Sarajevo in 1914 which triggered the FirstWorld War. What fascinates me about this period is how the First World War,which ended in nearly ten million deaths and changed the world, almost didn’thappen. The build up to the war is a mixture of comedy, farce and tragedy...one that might easily have been avoided – and I suppose that is the centralidea of ‘Assassins.’

The next in the series is called Day of Deliverance and is based inElizabethan England around the time of the Armada. This is a fantastic periodof history. Not only have you got the great political and religious turmoil ofthe age but you have this incredible artistic renaissance – Shakespeare,Marlowe and much more besides. Again, you’ve got a big historical turning point– the defeat of the Spanish Armada – which of course is one of the greatstories in European history and features in the book.

Just out is Day of Vengeance which takes Jack and Angus back to the twentiethcentury and the Battle of Britain, the defeat of France in 1940 and Hitler’svisit to Paris (which you can see astonishing actual footage of on YouTube –very spooky and sinister). The Second World War also changed the world and wasthe worst military conflict of all time. The period is really without match in history – in terms of scale andsignificance. In some ways, a lot of our history since then has been aboutpeople trying to make sure it never happens again. One of the things I likeabout modern history, particularly the Second World War, is the availability ofreal footage of events – it helps bring it to life.

The topics in the first three ‘JackChristie’ adventures are probably better known bits of history. For thatreason, for the fourth book, we’re going to go somewhere a bit different andtake our readers to China. This story features the Taiping Rebellion. Neverheard of it? Well you will. It was a civil war in China about a hundred andfifty years ago and more people died in it than in the First World War. It’sgoing to be great to take Jack and Angus somewhere new, where many people knowa lot less than they do about some of the other periods they have been to.Hopefully you will agree!

Thanks Johnny! What an interesting post! I haven't heard much about the Taiping Rebellion, but I'm looking forward to finding out more about it.

And make sure you check out the rest of the blog tour. See above,the tour's banner, for more. Tomorrows stop, which is the last on the blog tour, is on Booktastic Reviews.

I hope you enjoyed reading Johnny's post as much as I did! My reviews of the books should be up soon!

In My Mailbox #14

2011-09-04T11:29:00.000-07:00

Borrowed
The Client by John Grisham
I don't usually read adult books, but my auntie gave this on to me and told me it was good, so I thought I better give it a go! It sounds great!

Won
The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel (ARC)
Thanks to the fantastic Caroline at Portrait of a Woman! I've wanted to read this for a while, and now I can! It looks brilliant.

Bought
How To Be Popular by Meg Cabot
I went to a book swap for charity and I donated five books, and so each of the following books only cost 50 CENT! YES!!! Anyway, I love Meg Cabot, and this is great so far!

The Year the Gypsies Came by Linzi Glass
I haven't heard of this before, but this sounds really sweet, so I got it.

Dark Touch:Shadows by Amy Merdith
This looks really good!

Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Greogry Maguire
I've never read a fairytale re-telling before, but since Fluttering Butterflies Fairy Tale Themed Week I've wanted to. And this sounds really fun!

32C, That's Me by Chris Higgins
I've read another Chris Higgins book, Would You Rather, and I enjoyed it so I'm looking forward to reading this!

Well that's my lot for the week! I'm mega-happy!!! I probably shouldn't have bought more books though, I have too many already :) But it was for charity. So that's OK!

What did you get in your mailbox?

Zodiac Girls:Double Trouble by Cathy Hopkins

2011-09-02T09:57:00.000-07:00

Like most Scorpios, Eve has secrets that no one knows about - not even her twin sister Lilith. Usually bossy Lilith leads the way, but when Eve is chosen to be Zodiac Girl, for once Lilith is left behind. With the help of the planets, can Eve finally step out of her sister's shadow?

I love this series! It's so fun! I like the concept and the writing, and the characters and everything. It's perfect for young tween girls. And while in my opinion Double Trouble isn't the best installment, I still enjoyed reading it.

The story is about Eve, a girl who is overshadowed by her bossy twin Lilith. I did like Eve, but I wished she was a little more outgoing. Lilith was outgoing but I didn't really like her a lot, at least not at first, because she pretty much didn't let Eve have an opinion and was sulky when Eve got something she didn't. I wanted to tell Eve to stand up to her and say 'Get
over yourself! Grow up and stop being such a brat!'

My favourite character was Mary, Eve's best friend. She was always encouraging Eve to be herself and not care what Lilith and other people thought. And even though Eve didn't always listen to her, that was definitely what she needed to hear! She was also really fun and kind, and a great friend, the type everyone should have!

And of course, our favourite 'planets' were back again! I really liked Nessa, or Venus, as she's also known. And PJ, who wasn't really in the other books much (the ones that I've read anyway), we got to know a lot better. While sometimes I couldn't understand what he was saying (he has a...Russian..? Is it? I can't remember! But anyway he had a strong accent!), he was a cool character.

I thought sometimes the teenage characters, especially Eve, spoke in a way teenagers don't speak! I can't think of any examples off the top of my head, but I'll just say it was in the way that older, people in they're 50's or 60's, would talk. But that's just my opinion! It was very predictable book too. I knew what was going to happen in the end, and I knew what Eve's secrets were. I do wish there was more going on in the story, it was a bit boring sometimes!

Overall this is a short, lighthearted, girly read which I did enjoy reading. Fans of Sarah Webb, Judi Curtin and Cathy Cassidy will enjoy this series. I wouldn't recommend this book, but I would recommend the series, particularly the books Recipe For Rebellion and From Geek to Goddess.

3/5
Source: Bought
Pages: 160
Age Group: 9+
Official Publication Date: 2nd October 2009
Publisher: Macmillan Childrens Books
Author Website: www.cathyhopkins.com

Top Ten Tuesday #1 Top Ten Books That Are On The Top Of My TBR List For Autumn

2011-08-30T07:30:00.000-07:00

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Every week bloggers participating create a Top Ten list based on that week's theme. This week's theme is Top Ten Books That Are On The Top Of My TBR List For Autumn. And here is my Top Ten

Sister, Missing by Sophie McKenzie
This is the sequel to Girl, Missing, one of my all time favourite books. I so cannot wait to read it!

Marshmallow Skye by Cathy Cassidy
Sequel to Cherry Crush, an amazing book! I saw it in the bookshop yesterday, and I was thinking to myself, I NEED THIS!

Ask Amy Green:Love and Other Drama-Ramas by Sarah Webb
Ask Amy Green is one of my favourite series ever, so I'm looking forward to when this is published.

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
I've heard amazing things about this one, and it looks brilliant!

Palace of the Damned by Darren Shan
OMG I NEED THIS RIGHT NOW.

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
I've heard this is amazing, and I've had it on my shelf for a while. I have to get round to reading it at some point!

Delirium by Lauren Oliver
This is supposed to be brilliant, and I've had it for ages but haven't read it!

Pretty Little Liars: Perfect by Sara Shepard
This series is intriguing, I'm looking forward to reading this when I can.

The Medusa Project: The Rescue by Sophie McKenzie
Another Sophie McKenzie book! I've been told this is the best in the series, and can't wait to start it.

Angel Fire by L.A. Weatherly
I liked Angel but for some reason, never wrote a review for it! This comes out in October.

There you go! My first Top Ten Tuesday. It was quite fun! I think I'll do it more often! Tell me in the comments what you think of my list, and what books you're looking forward to reading this Autumn.

CHERUB:The Recruit by Robert Muchamore

2011-08-24T07:37:00.000-07:00

A terrorist doesn't let strangers in her flat because they might be undercover police or intelligence agents, but her children bring their mates home and they run all over the place. The terrorist doesn't know that a kid has bugged every room in her house, cloned the hard drive on her PC, and copied all the numbers in her phone book. The kid works for CHERUB. CHERUB is not James Bond. There are no master criminals or high-tech gadgets. CHERUB kids live in the real world. They slip under adult radar and get information that sends criminals and terrorists to jail. For official purposes, these children do not exist.

Meet James Adams. He is a couch potato until the day his mother dies, and he is sent to live in a care home, and his beloved little sister Lauren is taken in by her hating father. And then James is recruited by CHERUB. CHERUB is a secret organisation set up by the government which uses kids aged ten to seventeen to go on secret missions, but no-one suspects them, because, who suspects kids?

You know, I've never actually read a spy book. Yes, I know, unbelievable as I'm such an avid reader, and as there's so many out there! But even though I haven't read any other book like The Recruit, I honestly don't think you could get better! It's AMAZING! It's action-packed, and there's always something happening, so you never get bored. You can't put it down!

The Recruit is told in third person, which I think is better in action books, but you still really felt with James, if you know what mean. I liked him, but he wasn't a particularly interesting character. I really liked his friend Kerry, I thought she was so great! I'd love to be friends with her! And James's little sister Lauren, whom unfortunately we didn't get to see a lot of, seemed like a character with a lot of potential. Hopefully we'll get to see more of her in future books. I thought the relationship between the characters was fantastic too, especially between James and Kerry, and James and Lauren.

I honestly think this is one of the best books I've read! Ever! It was brilliant the way the book told about James' 'boot camp' and introduced CHERUB, but also about his first mission. I thought it was just going to be all about the spy training and even though that would have been enjoyable, it wouldn't have been very exciting. So I was delighted when James did the mission. It added hugely to the story.

Muchamore's writing is just fantastic! It's really compelling. Straight away when I had finished reading The Recruit, I wanted more! I was really regretting not getting the first two books in this series at the library. And then, guess what? I went to the library last week, and they didn't. Even. Have. The. Second. Book. I was like, nooooooooooooooo!

Would I recommend this? Yes. To whom? Everyone? Is it just a boys book? No way! I think boys and girls alike will enjoy it, as long as they're aged above about 12. It's enjoyable, original, exciting and damn right amazing! Please, please read this. You won't regret it. Seriously. And I just thought there,this, or another book in in the series, would make such a brilliant movie! I hope that happens some day.... WAIT! Just Googled it, The Recruit is becoming a movie! Woooh! But according to Wikipedia there's no set release date or anything, so it probably won't be out for a while :(

So, people of the world, if you haven't already, get down to your local bookshop and get yourself a copy of The Recruit. I think you'll like it :)

Rating 5/5

Source: Library
Pages: 352
Age Group: 12+
Official Publication Date: 15th April 2004
Publisher: Hodder Childrens Books
Author Website: www.muchamore.com or www.cherubcampus.com

P.S. Sorry about the white background on some of the text, I don't know what it is so I can't get rid of it! Does anyone know how to fix it, by any chance?...

In My Mailbox #13

2011-08-21T07:04:00.000-07:00

Borrowed (from my awesome friends Sinead, Emer and Orla. They gave me the books on the condition that I mentioned them in my IMM post :D)

Spy Girl:Out of the Shadows
Spy Girl: Once Upon a Crime
I've never heard of these before, but they sound really fun!

My So-Called Life by Joanna Nadin
I already have read about 50 pages of this, and I didn't really like it, so I don't think I'll be finishing it.

The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen
I've never read a Dessen book (don't judge) but I've heard they're amazing and I've looking forward to giving this a go. And, LOOK AT THAT COVER!

CHERUB:Maximum Security by Robert Muchamore
I've read the first in this series, and I LOVED it, and even though this is the third book, I'm going to try and get the second one, Class A, from the library as soon as I can.

Scarlett by Cathy Cassidy
After reading Lucky Star, which was BRILLIANT, I read this one straight away and I completely
loved it!

Life at the Shallow End by Helen Bailey (not pictured)
I've already read a bit of this and it's hilarious! I think I'm going to like it :)

Library
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S Lewis
This volume has all seven books, and I really can't wait to start it because I loved the movies, and, well, they're classics!

Across the Universe by Beth Revis
I was really surpised to find this at the library, but delighted too! I've heard it's amazing. I can't wait to read it.

Matched by Ally Condie
I've heard mixed things about this, but I'm looking forward to reading it and deciding for myself.

Rose and the Lost Princess by Holly Webb
I enjoyed the first book in this series, Rose, so I hope I like this too.

Stardust by Neil Gaiman
I recently watched this AMAZING movie, and it was adapted from this novel, so this is going to be my next read, definitely!

Spiderwick Chronicles: Book 3 Lucinda's Secret by Holy Black and Tony DiTerlizzi
Already read and loved this :)

The Palace of Laughter by Jon Berkeley
I got this from the library a couple of years ago but never got around to reading it. It sounds magical, and it was only 2euro at a charity shop, so I had to get it!

The Curious Incident of the Dog In The Night-Time by Mark Haddon
This was only 1euro in a different charity shop! Bargain or what! I'm reading it now ans it's unlike anything I've read before.

Zodiac Girl:Double Trouble by Cathy Hopkins
I got this and the below book in a 2 for 5euro deal. Bargain week! I love this series and Hopkins other books.

Forget Me Not by Anne Cassidy
I've never read a YA crime novel, or any of Anne's books before, but I've heard they're amazing, and this does sound it, and I am eager to begin reading it.

I didn't have enough time to do an IMM post last week, so I got double this week! The first picture is the books I got last week and the second is the ones I got this week. I'm sooooooooo happy! Yay for Narnia and Across The Universe! So what did you get in your mailboxes?

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

2011-08-12T10:12:00.000-07:00

Look, I didn't want to be a half-blood. I never asked to be the son of a Greek God. I was just a normal kid, going to school, playing basketball, skateboarding. The usual. Until I accidentally vaporized my maths teacher. That's when things started really going wrong. Now I spend my time fighting with swords, battling monsters with my friends, and generally trying to stay alive.

This is the one where Zeus, God of the Sky, thinks I've stolen his lightning bolt - and making Zeus angry is a very bad idea.

Can Percy find the lightning bolt before a fully-fledged war of the Gods erupts?

I'm really interested in Greek mythology. I find it really fascinating. I also like really funny books, with a good plot, good twists, good characters, and good writing. Fortunately, The Lightning Thief was all of these things! I've never read a book like it, it was brilliant!

Percy was hilarious! He took the most serious, battling-with-the-gods moments, and made a joke out of them. It made me giggle the way he annoyed the gods with his smart mouth. I thought he was the perfect protagonist, kind, loyal, brave and funny! I loved his friendship with Annabeth and Grover. He and Annabeth's bickering had me laughing. But Percy would do anything for her, and Grover and vice versa. I really liked Annabeth. She annoyed me a bit at first though, I thought she was an irritating know-it-all. But she turned out to be an awesome, independent, headstrong female heroine! And I do love me a strong female heroine. Grover was sort of a Ron Weasley. Completely lovable. A bit annoying at times, but the best friend you could have. I wish he was my friend :( Actually, now that I think about it, Percy, Grover and Annabeth are a bit like Harry Ron and Hermione. You know, three best friends saving the world from evil, with a little bit of romance put in for good measure. I don't think that's a bad thing though, like Riordan-copied-Rowling, I'm just observing.

I have to be honest, it was a bit hard to get into at the beginning. I found it sort of confusing. But after a couple of chapters it started to get exciting, and I was hooked!
Riordan writing style is fantastic. He really makes you believe Percy, Grover and all the rest of the characters are real. The descriptions are perfect too, I could imagine everything like it were happening right in front of me. The action scenes were excellent. Action scenes in a lot books aren't described very well, it's just a load of chaos! - but in The Lightning Thief they were detailed and exciting. Really, I can't praise this book enough!

There's a really shocking twist near the end, I really wasn't expecting that! I liked the ending, and although it doesn't finish on a cliffhanger,but it does set up for the rest of the series, and leaves the reader wanting more. Lots more! I can't wait to read Sea of Monsters, the next book in the Percy Jackson series. Also, has anyone seen the movie? It looks really good! Comments please :)

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief is one of my favourite books, and I highly recommend it to fans of fantasy, adventure, and Greek mythology. Everyone should read this book! It's original, funny and absolutely un-putdownable!

Rating: 5/5

Source: Library
Pages: 1st May 2008
Age Group: 9+
Official Publication Date: 384
Publisher: Puffin
Author Website: www.rickriordan.com or www.percyjackson.co.uk

In My Mailbox #12

2011-08-07T15:43:00.000-07:00

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren where bloggers show what books they received that week, via mailbox, library, bought, borrowed, or any other way. It's a great way to see who's reading what, so make sure you head over and join in!

For Review
Day of the Assassins
Day of Deliverance
Day of Vengeance by Johnny O'Brien
I received these as part of a blog tour for Day of Vengeance that I'm participating in in September. They look great, don't they?! I've just begun reading the first one, and I'm enjoying it so far!
Won
The Fool's Girl by Celia Rees
I got this out from the library once but never got around to reading it. I can't wait to begin it this time! I won this from Celia Rees herself, and it come with a lovely bookmark and postcard, so
thanks Celia!

That's my mailbox this week. I'm quite happy with my books. :)
What did you get in your mailbox?

In My Mailbox #11

2011-08-01T14:46:00.000-07:00

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren, where bloggers show what books they received through their mailboxes, from the library, bought and any other way. It's a great
way to see who's reading what, so make sure you head over and join in!

Gift
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
The Owl Service by Alan Garner

Borrowed
Don't Judge a Girl By Her Cover by Ally Carter
The Nine Lives of Chloe King by Liz Braswell (trilogy)

Apologies for this IMM's lateness! I was away. And, unfortunately, I'm going away for another three days tomorrow :( Well, not really unfortunate, because holidays are great, but it's bad that I can't post! I'm actually going to be gone a good bit during this month, so expect here-and-there posts. Anyway, I'm quite happy with the books I got this week :). I've already read and loved Don't Judge a Girl... and am reading The Help now. Sorry for not doing a proper post with pictures and stuff, I just don't have the time right now. I might update it tomorrow.
What did you get in your mailboxes?

Pretty Little Liars:Flawless by Sara Shepard

2011-07-29T06:58:00.000-07:00

In the exclusive town of Rosewood, Pennsylvania, where the sweetest smiles hide the darkest secrets, four pretty little liars - Spencer, Aria, Emily, and Hanna - have been very bad girls ...Spencer stole her sister's boyfriend; Aria is brokenhearted over her English teacher; Emily likes her new friend Maya ...as much more than a friend. And Hanna's obsession with looking flawless is literally making her sick. But the most horrible secret of all is something so scandalous it could destroy their perfect little lives. And someone named 'A' is threatening to do just that. At first they thought A was Alison, their friend who vanished three years ago ...but then Alison turned up dead. So who could A be? Only one thing's for certain: A's got the dirt to bury them all alive, and with every crumpled note and vindictive text message A sends, the girls get a little closer to losing it all.

The first book in this series, Pretty Little Liars, was TERRIFIC and it's one of my favourite books, so I was so excited when this arrived in the post! I wanted to start it right away. Unfortunately, I had a guest over and it would have been rude to just start reading! But a minute after she left I began it and read it in about two days. You really just an't to put this book down, it's so gripping and...creepy. (in a good way)

I liked pretty much all the characters (except 'A' of course!). The four girls, Emily, Spencer, Hanna and Aria were each great in their own way. I warmed to Aria a lot more in this one. I don't know what it was in the last book, I just didn't like her that much. But in Flawless I thought she was quirky, and cool! And she was a really nice person, and I felt so sorry for her, and the rest of the girls, when 'A' tormented and manipulated them.

The other three...Spencer, I could relate to her. But I didn't like her as much as I did in the last book. I don't know why, she just didn't seem as...nice. Yes, I like my characters nice :) And Hanna, I thought she was a bit of a spoilt brat. I still liked her though. She was insecure and 'A' reminded her of her past when she was fat and unhappy and for that I hated 'A' even more. Emily was lovely, I think she was my favourite along with Aria. She was so sweet and always trying to keep everybody happy. It isn't just the likability of the characters that matters that much though, it was how believable and realistic they are. Very, in this book! I really believed that these girls and all the secondary cast were real, and I cared about what happened to them. I think that's a very important thing in a book, because if you don't believe in the characters, why should you believe in the story?

The story! Oh the story. One of the most original I've ever read. Seriously, four girls being sent messages anonymously regarding secrets they only told their dead best friend. Have you ever heard anything like it? It's a bit far-fetched, but it's genius!

I said in my review of the last book that I found it annoying the way the books were told at an alternating third person POV, but I think I got used to it in Flawless, and so it didn't bother me as much. But what did bother me, was that the book kind of encouraged drugs and alcohol and I don't think that's the message that should be sent out to teenagers. That was probably the books only down-point.

Have you ever seen Pretty Little Liars, the TV show? If you haven't you definitely should. It's brilliant. But funnily enough, it's completely different from the book! There's tons of things in this book that haven't happened in the show, and loads of things in the show that didn't happen in the book! I suppose that's good, though, because you can watch and read and everything will still be a mystery!

Overall, Flawless wasn't as QUITE good as it's predecessor, but it was still thoroughly enjoyable. I would highly recommend it. I can't wait to read more of this series, and find out, WHO IS A???

Source: Bought
Pages: 304
Age Group: 12+
Official Publication Date: 25th November 2010
Publisher: Atom
Author Website: www.prettylittleliars.com (there is no official author website)

Giveaway at Bookhi!

2011-07-28T13:08:00.000-07:00

One of my favourite blogs, the brilliant Bookhi, is having a fantastic giveaway! Fiction Express is an interactive e-fiction website, where readers can buy and read chapters in the available books, and vote on what happens in the next one. For more info, visit MY POST on the site. Anyway, Bookhi is giving away FIVE COPIES (sort of. Not print copies but free credits for the chapters) of the brand new book on the site, Rémy Brunel and the Ocean of Light. Here's the books blurb:

No-one performs on the circus trapeze like sixteen-year-old Rémy Brunel. But when the circus closes for the night, Rémy leads another life, as a cat burglar and jewel thief. Forced by the evil circus owner Gustave to attempt the theft of one of the world's most valuable diamonds, Rémy thinks it will be just another heist, but when she meets determined young detective Thaddeus Rec, her life changes forever. Will Thaddeus manage to rescue the jewel from Rémy’s nimble fingers? Or is it really Rémy that he needs to save?

Doesn't it sound fab? And here are the giveaway Terms and Conditions:

The deadline is 8pm on Sunday 14th August 2011, entries in afterwards will not count.

You don't have to be a follower, but if you like what you see it would be appreciated *wink wink*

Anyone from any country can enter, as there is no shipping involved!

The winnners will be at random from random.org so there is a fair chance for everyone.

So go on-enter. You know you want to :D

In My Mailbox #10

2011-07-24T07:45:00.000-07:00

Blood Ties by Sophie McKenzie
I LOVE Sophie's books, especially Girl, Missing, and I've had this on reserve for ages! So I was so happy when I got this. I'm reading it now.

The Spiderwick Chronicles:The Seeing Stone by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi
I've already read and loved this. I've recently become obsessed with these books, despite only having read the first two. I can't believe I waited so long to read them, they're fantastic! I'll be getting the next three books ASAP!

I only got two books this week, but I'm happy! I probably won't be posting much next week, because I'll be away a lot (I know, I'm an AWFUL blogger). I'm really sorry, I thought I'd be able to post more during the holidays, but I forgot about going about and seeing people and all that. Anyway. What did you get in your mailboxes?

Kiss Date, Love Hate byLuisa Plaja - Cover Reveal!

2011-07-22T11:59:00.000-07:00

OK, this isn't really a huge deal, because I'm sure most of you have seen this cover already. But it was only revealed a few days ago and I love it, so I thought I'd show it here anyway!

Lex Murphy's group of friends have all dated, hated, ignored and lusted after each other for the last few years. If only there was a way of matching people perfectly to avoid all the unrequited love, dumping and drama!
Then Lex's friend George is given a mysterious Sims-like game by his software-testing dad which involves building character profiles in the categories of Life, Looks and Love. Lex and George populate the game with avatars for all their mates, making a few 'wishful thinking' adjustments to the settings - and find that the next day these tinkerings have come true! But how long can this new calm, loved-up atmosphere continue...?

Isn't it awesome? Isn't it?! Luisa is one of my favourite authors (she's also a fab blogger - check out her reviews at Chicklish) and I've been anticipating the release of this book's cover for aaaages! And it didn't disappoint! I love the design and the colours, and the strapline! And, cover aside, doesn't it sound AMAZING? I love the concept. I, for one, cannot wait for this book to come out.

What do you think?

My Worst Best Friend by Dyan Sheldon

2011-07-21T07:11:00.000-07:00

Gracie and Savannah are best friends – despite being totally different. Savannah is beautiful, outrageous and irresistible to the opposite sex. Gracie is shy, smart and would rather be learning about lizards than meeting boys. Together they make a great if surprising team and it seems like nothing could come between them – but over a long summer Gracie begins to question Savannah's reliance on lies and manipulation to get her own way and wonders whether her friend is quite as confident as she seems. When Gracie meets a boy she really likes, and Savannah comes between them, Gracie realizes that maybe it's time she started thinking for herself.

Now, I wasn't expecting to like this book much. It sounds predictable and average, nothing very original or different. And I suppose, it was a bit predictable, and not very original, but I really, really liked it! It was a witty, character-driven novel about friendship, first love and becoming your own person.

As I said before, this is a very character-driven novel, and all of the characters are well-thought out and likeable, bar Savannah. Not that she wasn't a well-thought out, she was, but I didn't like her. At all. She wasn't a nice person, and thought it was perfectly OK to lie and deceive people, yet she got upset when others did the same back to her. Savannah was selfish, and wasn't a good friend to Gracie. But Gracie was annoyingly naive and kept on thinking Savannah was great. Seriously, sometimes I felt like shouting at Gracie 'Can you not see what a bad friend she is? Get rid of her!'.

But Gracie was still a fantastic character. She was a bookworm, and really cared about the environment, and animals. I could really relate to her! I liked her relationship with Cooper, a boy she's friends with, but only starts to develop feelings for recently. It felt very real, even though not a lot happened, romantic-wise, between them. They had a lot in common, especially helping others and watching old movies. One of the bits I liked the most was when either Gracie or Cooper quoted lines from old movies and the other had to say what movie it was from, and who starred in it. I learned some great one-liners from this book!

This may seem like a ridiculous complaint, but I thought the book's major fault was Savannah. (It's not really a fault, actually. It's just my constant complaining). I know she was a vital character, and the book may as well not exist without her, but she just annoyed me so much. Every time she appeared in a scene, I felt like sighing and saying 'Oh just go away Savannah'. Yeah, you are now all allowed to laugh at me as much as you want.
I also thought the first half was a bit boring. But the story picked up in the second half, a lot more happened, and I enjoyed it more.

I really enjoyed this novel! It's a great book, by a great author. Sheldon's writing was excellent and I can't wait to read more by her. My Worst Best Friend is the perfect combination of humour, friendship and romance. Highly recommended to fans of Cathy Cassidy and Cathy Hopkins.

Rating: 4/5
Source: Borrowed
Pages: 320
Age Group: 12+
Official Publication Date: 1st February 2010
Publisher: Walker
Author Website: /www.dyansheldon.co.uk

Harry Potter:The Books

2011-07-19T08:41:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it? It's all over. The epic 14-year saga has finally come to an end. The eight and final Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 was released on the 15th July 2011.The seventh and last book in the Harry Potter series came out in 2007, and everyone was sad then :( but at least there was 3 more movies to look forward to :) But now we don't even have that.I feel like crying *sniff sniff* To mark the end, I've decided to do two posts on Harry Potter , one on the books (this one) and one on the movies. I hope you enjoy reading them!

Now, unless you've been living under a rock for the last ten years, I'm sure you will have heard of Harry Potter. If you have been living under a rock, however, here's a short synopsis: Harry Potter is a young orphan living with his mean aunt and uncle. He has always believed that his parents died in a car crash when he was one. Until his eleventh birthday, when a giant man turns up on his doorstep and the truth comes out. Harry Potter is a wizard. His parents were killed by an evil wizard when he was a baby. But the funny thing is, Harry made this evil wizard, Voldemort, disappear! No-one knows how, or why, he's just gone. So Harry goes off to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where he learns how to turn teacups into rats, to make pencil cases do cartwheels, to ride a broomstick and much more! But more than just magic awaits Harry there...

Sorry, not a great summary! But I think you get the gist.And you probably know what it's about anyway.
I actually began reading Harry Potter books after the last book came out. I loved them straight away. They were witty, exciting, thrilling, mysterious, original, magical and totally, utterly terrific! Yeah, too many adjectives used in that sentence. But that's just how I feel about them! I borrowed them off a friend and I think I read the whole series in about a month and a half, maybe two! *Sigh* I'm just so in awe of J.K. Rowling and her imagination. I wonder what's it's like to be able to think like that, to be able to think up such brilliant original and creative names and ideas. Wow. *Jealous longing* I seriously hope Rowling writes more books, because I can't get enough of them! I decided to write little mini-reviews (VERY mini) of all seven books. Here they are:
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
The magic begins! Funnily enough, not one of the best books in the series. It used to be one of my favourites but now I prefer the later books. It's still great though! Harry finds out he's a wizard and goes into his first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Excitement follows!
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
This is one of my favourites!I love the story, especially. And 'Her Skeleton Will Lie In The Chamber Forever'? *Shudder* It's creepy! (Sorry, if you haven't read the books you probably don't understand this!) Dobby also makes his first appearance in this book. Dobby is the best elf ever. Those last two sentences were to be read in an extremely serious voice. Anyway! Harry starts his second year at Hogwarts, where there is a dangerous plot to kill him!
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
The brilliance continues! Harry third year at Hogwarts begins, and there is a deranged murderer on the loose from wizard prison, and he's after Harry! This is the only book where Voldemort doesn't appear in some form, but that doesn't mean there's any less action! There's lots of surprising twists and it's really enjoyable.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
I think this might be my favourite book in the series. I love the characterism (is that a word? Spellcheck says it isn't.), the fast-paced plot, the darkness (not literally, of course!) and everything else about it. It also happens to be the only book I don't own. But that will change soon. In this book, Harry goes into his fourth year at Hogwarts, where he finds that the Triwizard Tournament, a fun but dangerous wizarding tournament where the contestants have to face three difficult challenges, is taking place at Hogwarts. Darkness awaits him there...
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
The longest book in the series, with over 750 pages. This is the beginning of the books becoming darker, after Voldemort returns. And some jaw-dropping revelations at the end of this book, seriously! A great book, but I found the end a bit too long, and a little confusing. Harry is in his fifth year at Hogwarts, after witnessing Voldemort return to power the previous summer. But, most of the rest of the wizarding world and the Ministry don't believe him!
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
This book is very dark and serious. But there are some funny parts too :) R+L, LOL! This book is very important to the final book, you wouldn't understand most of what's going on in it if you hadn't read this one. Harry is in his sixth year at Hogwarts. It's now known throughout the wizarding world that Lord Voldemort had returned. Harry starts getting special lessons from Dumbledore, (Hogwarts' headmaster) to help him defeat Voldemort. Shocks are in store throughout.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
The Epic Finale. Yes, I put that in capital letters. Deathly Hallows was probably the most eagerly awaited book ever. And as you would expect, it's amazing! It lived up to all of it's expectations! It's only downfall is that it means there's no more HP books :'( So much happens in this book, most notably all the deaths, new relationships (H+r 4ever <3) and of course, the epic Battle of Hogwarts. This book doesn't exactly need explaining...but I will anyway. Harry, Ron and Hermione should be in their seventh and final year at Hogwarts, but instead they're out hunting Horcruxes! This is the epic finale.This is the final showdown. This is the end.

In My Mailbox #9

2011-07-17T13:53:00.000-07:00

The Wish List by Eoin Colfer
I haven't heard much about this book before, but I've heard the author is good, and I saw this in a one-off bookshop for only 2.50 so I said why not? I hope it'll be good.

I only got the one book this week, but after last week, I didn't need many more! I'm really sorry for not posting again :( but I was away for the week! But I'll try and have a review and another secret post *mysterious look*. Well, it's not that secret because you'll see it in a few days.That backfired. Oh well! Moving on! I hope you got some good books too! Make sure to tell me what you got in the comments!

In My Mailbox #8

2011-07-10T03:11:00.000-07:00

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren, where bloggers show what books they received through their mailboxes, from the library, bought and any other way. It's a great way to see who's reading what, so make sure you head over and join in! Lately I've been having a bit of a problem with posts that include more than one picture, so IMM posts are the worst! Last week it took me nearly an hour to sort out all the pictures and everything! I got nine books this week, so I'm just going to post the titles, not pictures of the covers to save me the stress.

Bought
A Year Without Autumn by Liz Kessler
Blue Gene Baby by Fiona Dunbar
The Medusa Project:The Set-Up by Sophie McKenzie

Library
Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
Million Dollar Mates:Paparazzi Princess by Cathy Hopkins
Trash by Andy Mulligan
Cherub:The Recruit by Robert Muchamore
Percie Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
The Spiderwick Chronicles:The Field Guide by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi

I am so happy! I love my library :) I'm super excited to read all of these books. So that's it for me this week.

What did you get in your mailbox?

Wuthering Hearts by Kay Woodward

2011-07-08T13:06:00.000-07:00

Passion, the Yorkshire moors, a wild and handsome stranger . . . sound familiar?
When Robert arrives in town with his dark good looks and mysterious background, Emily has a huge crush! It’s almost enough to take her mind off this year’s school play . . . miserable, wailing Wuthering Heights.
But Robert is no prince, with his black moods and fierce temper. The beautiful untamed moors would be the perfect backdrop to their fiery romance, if only Emily could work it out.
On stage or off stage, will Emily ever be the Cathy to his Heathcliff?

I knew I would love this book, even before I started it. The cover is AWESOME! Yes, I know it's superficial to judge a book by it's cover, but it's just so bright and pretty. And it's not just that. It sounded really good! I love books about acting and drama, they're always so fun! And Wuthering Hearts lived up to my expectations.

I haven't read Wuthering Heights, but I think I'll have to after this! The classic novel was a big part of the book, what with the play and everything. At first, Emily doesn't like WH -despite not even reading it! But by the end, it's her favourite book!

The setting was great - I liked how it was the same place as where the Bronte's lived. It was all described well - I could see the the wild windy moors perfectly. Despite not really knowing what a moor looks like. *Google images moor* Ah, now I see. They're quite nice. :)

The characters were all fun and likeable. Emily was crazy and really dramatic, my favourite type of character! I liked Robert too, but I thought he was a little annoying. He was a bit too 'poor me' and whenever Emily tried to help him he just got all cross. He was OK in the end though. Emily's Auntie O was fantastic, always listening to Emily's problems and giving her great advice. I wish I had an Auntie O :D The rest of the secondary characters were brilliant too, like Emily's sister Jenna, her friend Maia and the mean girl Lexie.

The plot was a bit weak. It was quite predictable. There wasn't many twists and I knew what was going to happen in the end. But despite that, it was still enjoyable to read.

Wuthering Hearts is a funny, enjoyable and thoroughly entertaining book. I would recommend it to fans of Luisa Plaja and Louise Rennison. I am really looking forward to reading Kay's other books, especially 'Jane Airhead', another Bronte-themed novel. Good job Kay!

Rating: 3.5/5

Source: For review from publisher
Pages: 224
Age Group: 10+
Official Publication Date: 7th July 2011 (Yesterday!)
Publisher: Andersen Press
Author Website:www.kaywoodward.co.uk

Thank you to Sarah at Andersen Press for sending me this to review.
Review done as part of the British Books Challenge 2011, hosted by The Bookette.

In My Mailbox #7

2011-07-04T11:22:00.000-07:00

Ultraviolet by R.J. Anderson
I bought this as part of a 3-for-2 deal (I also bought the next two books as part of this deal) and I'm so happy! I LOVED Anderson's book 'Knife' it's one of my favourite books ever, and this sounds awesomely creepy! I can't wait to get started.
My Dad Is Ten Years Old by Mark O'Sullivan
I thought this sounded really interesting and original. I am really looking forward to reading it.
The Real Rebecca by Anna Carey
I have heard about this before, and thought it sounded really funny. I've already read it, and will probably be reviewing it soon.

Pretty Little Liars:Flawless by Sara Shepard
I just HAD to get this book. If you've read my review of Pretty Little Liars, you'll know why! I've read this already as well.
The Boy In The Dress by David Walliams
Well, actually, my brother got this,but I'll definitely be reading this too! I've read Walliams' other two books, and they were brilliant. If you're a fan of Roald Dahl, or just funny books in general, PLEASE read this man's books!

So that's what I got this week! I have just realised - I only posted FOUR TIMES in June - I'm soooooo sorry! I'm a bad blogger :'( I promise, I'll post more :)

What did you get in YOUR mailbox?

Radiance by Alyson Noel

2011-06-28T04:13:00.000-07:00

This review contains some 'spoilers' but nothing major.

Riley Bloom left her sister, Ever, in the world of the living and crossed the bridge into the afterlife—a place called Here, where time is always Now. Riley and her dog, Buttercup, have been reunited with her parents and are just settling into a nice, relaxing death when she's summoned before The Council. They let her in on a secret—the afterlife isn't just an eternity of leisure; Riley has to work. She's been assigned a job, Soul Catcher, and a teacher, Bodhi, a curious boy she can't quite figure out.

Riley, Bodhi, and Buttercup return to earth for her first assignment, a Radiant Boy who's been haunting a castle in England for centuries. Many Soul Catchers have tried to get him to cross the bridge and failed. But he's never met Riley...

I don't know what to say about this book. I thought it was very confusing and a little bit ridiculous. Nothing was explained well at all, at the beginning and parts near the end I hadn't a clue what was going on. I didn't think the whole earth plane and 'Here & Now' or anything in between was explained properly. I also found the way it was written hard to understand. There was too many 'well's' and 'like's' and 'anyway's', if you know what I mean.

Riley was just really annoying. Sometimes I felt like telling her to grow up and stop being a spoiled little brat. She was shallow, vain and stuck-up. Bodhi had no depth and wasn't believable. I don't have a favourite character. Like I said about Bodhi, I don't think any of the characters had depth and to be honest, I didn't really care what happened to them.

The plot was very weak, if there even was one at all. It prettymuch went like this: Riley dies, she whinges a lot, she's given a job as a SoulCatcher, she goes down to earth, gets the Radiant Boy to cross the bridge inabout two seconds, something happens with a woman who won't stop crying (I'mnot entirely sure what. That part was the most confusing) and then it's allhappily ever after, or something.

I really didn't like this book. I'm not even sure why I finished it. I suppose I was expecting something to happen but nothing did. There was no twists, and nothing remotely exciting happened. I wouldn't recommend it and I don't think I'll be reading the next in this series, Shimmer. Before reading this, I was really eager to read Noel's 'Immortals' series, but now I don't know if I will. Overall, Radiance isn't a great book.

Rating: 2/5
Source: Borrowed
Pages: 178
Age Group: 10+
Official Publication Date: This edition 4th Feb 2011
Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books
Author Website: www.alysonnoel.com

In My Mailbox #6

2011-06-26T04:30:00.000-07:00

Camden Town Tales: The Celeb Next Door by Hilary Freeman
I won this off the brilliant blog Girls Heart Books. I have wanted to read this and was so happy when I found it in the postbox!

Gift

The 13 Treasures by Michelle Harrison
I got this for my birthday, I was so delighted! I have read it already and a review will be up soon.

For Review

Wuthering Heights by Kay Woodward
Another one I was delighted to receive, I've already read it and there'll be a review up soon!

Borrowed

Radiance by Alyson Noël
I saw this on Zoe's blog, Bookhi, and thought it sounded good, and when I saw it on my friends bookshelf, I had to have it! I'm reading it at the moment.

Storm Runners by Barbara Mitchellhill
I've been interested in some of Barbaras books before, particularly Run Rabbit Run, a WWII story, and I thought this sounded really thrilling and exciting! I think this will be next on the TBR list!

So that's my haul this week. I'm quite happy with it, there's some great books in there! I ordered a few books a couple of days ago, so I'll have a good few for next week's IMM too.

What did you get in your mailboxes?

Grace by Morris Gleitzman

2011-06-13T13:47:00.000-07:00

In the beginning there was me and Mum and Dad and the twins. And talk about happy families, we were bountiful.

But it came to pass that I started doing sins.

And lo, that's when all our problems began...

Grace is a story about a young girl, around ten or eleven, who is part of a 'special' Christian church. The church Elders, who are the bosses of the church, are very controlling and try and make everyone obey their strict rules and regulations. Talking to 'outsiders' is not allowed. But Grace's dad doesn't agree with a lot of these rules. And for this, he gets in trouble.

OK, I am SO SO SO sorry that you had to put yourself through the torture of reading my TERRIBLE synopsis. I just am awful at writing my own sypnopsis'. But I couldn't find a decent one anywhere so I had to do my own. I'd say you've got the gist of what it's about, though.

Gleitzman's writing style is quite...distinctive. But then I suppose he was writing in the vantage point of a young girl, so it would have been a little different. I don't know if it's a good different, or a bad different though. Sometimes it was a bit hard to understand, but most of the it was fine.

Grace was a likeable character. She was very naive, and I liked that. I was glad she didn't let the Elders fully control her. Her Dad was probably my favourite character, He was so kind and I liked how he did believe in God, but in a nice, loving way. Not in a horrible, Elder-like way. The Elders were big meanies, I thought. OK, I know that is the most childish phrase ever, but it's true!

Grace's grandfather was really a horrible person. He was so mean and controlling, as were the other Elders. I liked it when people stood up to the Elders, it annoyed them so much!

This book was quite short and it didn't take me long to read it, but it was really enjoyable. Even though it it aimed at 9-11 year olds, I would definitely recommend it to young and old readers alike.. Even if you're not overly religious, it's still a brilliant read. So if you get the chance to read Grace, you should.

Rating: 5/5

Source:Library
Pages:192
Age Group: 9+
Official Publication Date 3rd February 2011
Publisher:Puffin
Author Website: www.morrisgleitzman.com

In My Mailbox #5

2011-06-05T07:50:00.000-07:00

Skellig by David Almond
I got this from my auntie as an early birthday present. She has great taste in books. This has absolutely INCREDIBLE reviews, so I'm SUPER eager to read it.

Kitty Slade: Divine Freaks by Fiona Dunbar
My mum got me this, and now I have two Fiona Dunbar books! I'm bringing this on holiday with me, so expect a review in a few weeks. It looks really good doesn't it?

I'm going on holidays for a couple of weeks, and I don't think I'll have access to a computer, so goodbye! But I'll have a couple of things scheduled :)

So not much this week, but I'm quite happy :)
What did you get in your mailbox?

Rose by Holly Webb

2011-05-30T12:45:00.000-07:00

Where have all the children gone? Mr Fountain's grand residence is a world away from the dark orphanage Rose has left behind. For the house is overflowing with sparkling magic - she can feel it. And soon Rose realises that she might be just a little bit magical, too...

But when orphans begin mysteriously disappearing, Rose's magic is put to the test. Can she find the missing children before it's all too late?

The first of Rose's spellbinding adventures...

I LOVE the cover of this book. Seriously, the whole way through I kept on closing the book to stare at the gorgeous cover. I don't think 'Rose' quite lived up to this marvellous cover, but it was quite an entertaining read.

This book wasn't slow to get into, the story started quickly. I enjoyed the first part of this book, but then unfortunately in the middle it wasn't as good. The writing sometimes seemed hard to understand, sometimes I had to read a paragraph a couple of times to fully get what was going on. It's hard to explain, but if you've read it you'll know what I mean.

The last part of the story was better. But the ending seemed really sudden and rushed. Pretty much two hundred pages are just setting up the story, and then the ending is thrown into the last seventy pages.

Rose, as a character, wasn't overly believable, but then it's a book aimed at 9+, so I suppose character development isn't a very important thing in that age group. Freddy was quite believable, but that's probably because annoying characters are more convincing! I wish Mr. Fountain and Bill were in it more, we didn't see much of them.

I know I haven't said much good about this book, and this is a very short review (sorry for that) but I am going to give it 4/5. It is actually enjoyable, and I think younger kids will love it. I will definitely be reading the sequel, Rose and The Lost Princess. Even if it's just for the pretty cover :)

Source: Library
Pages: 272
Age Group: 9+
Official Publication Date:
Publisher: Orchard Books
Author Website: None

Cover of the Week #6

2011-05-30T08:02:00.000-07:00

Cover of the Week is a weekly feature I do here at Bookster Reviews, in which I show you all a picture of a cover I love. This week's cover is Lia's Guide To Wining The Lottery by Keren David. I really want to read this, it's sounds so good! It's not released yet, it will be published on 4 August 2011.

Money can’t buy you love. But it can buy many other very nice things. Lia’s mum is a nag, her sister’s a pain and she’s getting nowhere in pursuit of the potentially paranormal Raf. Then she wins £8 million in the lottery, and suddenly everything is different. But will Lia’s fortune create more problems than it solves? Everyone dreams of winning the lottery - but what’s it really like? Find out in this hilarious story by Keren David, whose acclaimed debut novel, When I Was Joe, was Highly Commended for the Booktrust Teenage Prize.

Isn't it just GORGEOUS? I love the placing of the title and the authors name, and the shoes are just so pretty! The colour of them really stand out against all the black. The title font is lovely. It's just such an appealing cover, if I saw this in a shop I would definitely pick it up, I would be intrigued.

What do YOU think about this cover? Do you love it or hate it?

In My Mailbox #4

2011-05-29T13:05:00.000-07:00

I Am David by Anne Holm
My granny kindly gave me this one :) Thanks granny. I've heard it's amazing and am eager to read it. I love stories about the war. (My copy actually doesn't have this cover, it is an older version, but I couldn't find a picture of the edition anywhere, so I'm using this one)

Bought

Oceans of Blood by Darren Shan

Yay! Darren is one of my favourite authors EVER, he's amazing, so I was SO excited to get this! But I can't read it because I'm saving it for my holidays in a couple of weeks :(

So that's what I got this week. Not much, but I'm delighted!

What did you get in your mailboxes?

Gripped Into Books giveaway!

2011-05-23T10:36:00.000-07:00

Gripped into books is currently hosting an incredible giveaway. You can choose from 4 brilliant prize packs if you win. The packs are as follows:

Prize Pack 1: Fallen
Torment
Passion all by Lauren Kate

Prize Pack 2: Shiver
Linger
Forever all by Maggie Stievater

Prize Pack 3: The Mortal Instruments Books 1, 2 and 3 by Cassandra Clare

Prize Pack 4: Choose any 3
Delirium by Lauren Oliver, Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver, Unearthly by Cynthia Hand, Blue Bloods: Misguided Angels by Melissa de Cruz, Halo by Alexandra Ornetto, Stolen by Lucy Christopher, Blood Magic by Tessa Graton, Pretty Twisted by Gina Baxill, Wither by Lauren DeStefano.

This giveaway is international (yay!) and you must be a follower to enter.. It ends on 10th June. So head over to Gripped Into Books and enter now!

NEWS: Girls Heart Books and Fiction Express

2011-05-23T08:52:00.000-07:00

I know this post is way overdue, both of these websites have been around for nearly a month! - but for those who haven't heard of them yet, I'm gonna tell you now.

Girls Heart Books

A group of female writers have gotten together and made a joint blog/website called Girls Heart Books. It was set up by Jo Cotterhill, author of the Sweet-Hearts series. Here's a bit more about it, taken from the sites 'About' page.

It’s a place where we can tell you our latest news, whisper the secret stories behind our books, and share our favourite things. We’ll have a new blog post every day for you – plus giveaways, new book news, event announcements and more.

So if you’ve ever wondered what your favourite writer’s desk looks like, which book is lighting up her bedside table right this minute, or whether when she was 13 she had a really unfortunate haircut and was afraid of swans, GIRLS ♥ BOOKS is just for you.

Here's a list of the authors contributing, in alphabetical order (by first name):

Anna Carey, Anne-Marie Conway, Cathy Cassidy, Cathy Hopkins, Diane Messidoro, Fiona Dunbar, Griselda Gifford, Hilary Freeman, Jo Cotterill, Joan Lennon, Joanna Nadin, Judi Curtin, Julie Sykes, Karen King, Karen McCombie, Kate Maryon, Kay Woodward, Keris Stainton, Leila Rasheed, Linda Chapman, Lisa Clark, Liz Kessler, Luisa Plaja, Maggi Gibson, Rosalie Warren, Sarah Webb, Sophia Bennett, Sue Mongredien, Susie Day, Tamsyn Murray, Wendy Meddour

I know, it's great isn't it? And a new post every day what more could you ask for?

Fiction Express

Fiction Express is an interactive e-fiction website aimed at young readers. At the end of each chapter, readers are given 3 or 4 choices as to what happens in the next chapter and they can vote for whichever one they want. There are four novels available, by four great authors. New chapters are available from 3:30pm on a Friday and voting closes at 10:00am the following Monday. Authors will then write a chapter according to the most popular choice. This continues for 11 weeks, as each book has 11 chapters. The four books are:

Diary of a Mall Girl by Luisa Plaja (Split by a Kiss, Swapped by a Kiss, Extreme Kissing)

The Soterion Mission by Stewart Ross (Timewarp Trials and What If The Bomb Goes Off?)

Soul Shadows by Alex Woolf (The Chronosphere)

The Last Symbol by Rebecca Morton

The first chapter is available for free, and later chapters sell for as little as 59p.

I was lucky enough to win a giveaway on fantastic site Chicklish, when they were giving away ten credits, which is the equivalent of one novel. I am using the credits on the brilliant 'Diary of a Mall Girl' by one of my favourite authors Luisa Plaja, and I am loving it so far.

So make sure you check out Fiction Express.

Thanks for reading this (very late) post.

The Sky Is Everywhere By Jandy Nelson

2011-05-19T13:42:00.000-07:00

Seventeen-year-old Lennie Walker spends her time tucked safely and happily in the shadow of her fiery older sister, Bailey. But when Bailey dies abruptly, Lennie is catapulted to centre stage of her own life - and, despite her nonexistent history with boys, suddenly finds herself struggling to balance two. Toby was Bailey's boyfriend; his grief mirrors Lennie's own. Joe is the new boy in town, with a nearly magical grin. One boy takes Lennie out of her sorrow, the other comforts her in it. But the two can't collide without Lennie's world exploding...

Sorry for the following long and rambly review :D

This book has, hands-down, THE best layout EVER. The cover, for one, is just amazing, it's one of my favourite covers ever. It's so simple, but so effective. I love the colour, the font and the little hearts. And on the UK hardcover (pictured) has this cute little blue elastic thing that stretches around the book, which is meant to be a bookmark. It was so handy!

But the best thing of all were the little poems that Lenny scattered around, written on all these random things! Takeaway cups, windows, lollipop wrappers! Everything! At the beginning or end of each chapter one of theses poems were shown. I thought they were really cute, and I looked forward to the end of every chapter just to read them!

And now, after two paragraphs about the layout ( :P) I'm gonna talk about the actual book.

The writing was brilliant, this is probably the most beautifully written book I've ever read. Usually I'm not too bothered with writing, it's more the plot I'm interested in. But this book deserves the praise! Everything was described in such exquisite detail, I could imagine exactly what everyone and everywhere looked like, as though it was right there in front of me. I can't believe this is Jandy's first book!

The characters were all so real and so great. I liked all of them (except Rachel. Meanie) and I just cannot pick a favourite. They were all so brilliant and unique in their own ways. Lennie herself was so sweet and sensitive. The love she had for her Bailey, Joe and the everyone else was really believable. I felt like I missed Bailey too! Actually, a prequel to this book would be great, I'd love to get to know Bailey better. Jandy Nelson made you feel like you knew Bailey and even though she was dead, she seemed so real and alive. (Well, I suppose she was real, but you know what I mean!)

Gram (Lennie's gran) was so kind and lovely and funny, as was Uncle Big. He was awesome! Lennie's best friend Sarah was quirky and cool, I wish she was in it more! Though sometimes she annoyed me... The two boys, Joe and Toby, were so sweet! I have to say, even though I'm probably the only one, I think I'm Team Toby! I know, I know! But Joe just seemed so perfect, he was the only character I wasn't so convinced by. He was practically flawless. I just wish he had even one flaw, just to make it more realistic. Despite all that though, I did like him.

Toby was SO GREAT! (Sorry, I am using terrible adjectives in this review, aren't I? Well, sorry, but I can't help it!) He was so sweet! He was so emotional too.The times he was sad and crying were the times I felt like crying too! I wish we saw more of him though, he wasn't in it that much. :/

I don't normally read romances, I prefer fantasy or adventure and sometimes chick-lit (I wouldn't call this book chick-lit... would you?), but I loved this so much! I really hope Jandy Nelson writes more books. Preferably a sequel to 'The Sky Is Everywhere'. Also, another thing un-book related. Doesn't Jandy Nelson have THE best name ever?!! It's my favourite author name after Lauren Oliver. They both sound so cool and Jandy is just an AMAZING name! Is Jandy a popular name over in the USA, my American readers?

My only complaint is that, at times, this book seemed a little too perfect. I know that's a good thing, how perfect it was, but to me it was just slightly annoying. It's hard to explain. Ooh, and just one more complaint! (OMG, I'm such a complainer!). Sometimes I thought the book was a bit slow. But the on the other hand, it wasn't meant to be an edge-of-your-seat thriller, but still..

Overall, this book was stunning, spectacular, and I totally loved it. I would definitely give it 5/5, 10/10, 1000/100! It is a definite recommended read, one of my favourites so far this year. So, peoples, READ THIS BOOK!

Source: Library
Pages: 368
Age Group: 12+
Official Publication Date: 07 June 2010
Publisher: Walker Books UK
Author Website:www.jandynelson.com

Cover of the Week #5

2011-05-09T09:54:00.000-07:00

Cover of the Week is a weekly feature here at Bookster Reviews, in which I show you all a picture of a cover I love. This week's cover is A Year Without Autumn by Liz Kessler. I haven't read this yet, but I so want to!

If you could see into the future - would you look? Jenni Green doesn't have a choice. On her way to visit her best friend, Autumn, Jenni suddenly finds she's been transported exactly one year forward in time. Now she discovers that in the year that's gone by, tragedy has struck and her friendship with Autumn will never be the same again. But what caused the tragedy? How did Jenni skip a year? And can she find her way back to the past to try to change what lies ahead? With humour - and her customary light touch - the author of the EMILY WINDSNAP books plays a fascinating game with time, and explores the changes that take place in friendships and families in the aftermath of a disaster.

Isn't it just gorgeous? I love how it gives a sort of summery/autumn-y feel (or is that just me?) and I like the silhouettes of the girls and the way they're positioned. The placing of the title and authors name is great and the font is so pretty! It's even nicer in real life! Overall, it's just an amazing cover, and an even more amazing-sounding book! I hope I get the chance to read it some time in the future! Geddit?

Sorry, bad pun :P

Non-Existent In My Mailbox #2

2011-05-08T12:40:00.000-07:00

I've decided to make N-EIMM a sort of regular thing here at Bookster Reviews. A lot of weeks I don't get any books but I want to do a post every Sunday regardless, so N-EIMM is going to be an almost-weekly feature. If you didn't see the last N-EIMM post, I'll tell you what it is. I will post 4 or 5 cool or funny pictures. It's quite simple actually! Now, the pictures...

Aren't they awesome? My favourite is the last :P *evil laugh* Mwahahahahahaha!

Hopefully I'll get some books next week, but until then, goodbye!

In My Mailbox #3

2011-05-01T09:42:00.000-07:00

I got awesome books this week! I never realised how great my local library is! Now on with the books...

The Fool's Girl by Celia Rees

I renewed this book because I got it last time but didn;t get time to read it. I'm not a fan of historical fiction, but I've heard this author is good, so I'm giving it a go.

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

Squeeeeee! I looked for this book at the library last time but they didn't have it, so I was SO excited to see it there this time!

Grace by Morris Gleitzman

I was really shocked to see this at the library because it's only been out a couple of months. I'm looking forward to beginning this.

Paper Towns by John Green

I was a bit dissapointed to see the library didn't have Looking For Alaska which is the John Green book I really want to read. But this will do ; D

Rose by Holly Webb

I've already started this and am about half way through. It is BRILL-IANT! A review should be up sometime in the next couple of weeks.

So that's the books I got this week! I have to admit, they're pretty great ;) I can't wait to see what you all got in tour mailboxes!

Cover of the Week #4

2011-04-29T03:41:00.000-07:00

Sorry sorry sorry! I know my last...FOUR posts have been memes, but I just haven't had much time to read lately! Seriously I thought over the Easter I would have lots of time to read, but I've just been too busy. I promise reviews up soon of Rose by Holly Webb and Grace by Morris Gleitzman. Anyway, onto the awesome cover!

This week, I'm doing it a little differently. Instead of one awesome book cover, I'm doing four. They're all part of a The Luxe series by Anna Godbersen. I haven't read this series yet, but I would like to. I;m not a fan of historical fiction, but I've heard great things about these books.

Obviously, the most gorgeous part of the covers are the dresses. The cover models are pretty but I'm here to talk about what they're wearing! My favourite is the first. The colour is so...sophisticated! And I love all the...actually, what are those things on the dress called? You know, like, the ruffles, maybe? Well, whatever they are I love them!

All the dresses are so big and puffy. Did women actually wear dresses like that back in those days? Well, if they did, I wish we still did now!

The second dress is probably my least favourite. I like the colour, but not the shape. They third is really lovely. I love white dresses and I love the read strap across it. The fourth is amazing. The colour is gorgeous and I love the shape of it.

So that's this weeks Cover of the Week! Well, Four Covers of the Week! Till next time, goodbye!

P.S. Sorry about the small picture -click to enlarge.

In My Mailbox #2? 3#? I don't know :D

2011-04-24T07:58:00.000-07:00

Remember last weeks 'Non-Existent In My Mailbox'? Yeah, well, I didn't name that N-EIMM #2, and I didn't get any books, so I don't know if this should be #2 or #3. Hmmmm....

OK, I'm just gonna call it IMM #2. :D

Well, now, as it turns out, I did get a couple of books last week, I just forgot about them! So I'm including them in this IMM instead (They're the last three on the list) Anyway, I got some AWESOME books this week, cause the books I bought off The Book Depository arrived. Yay!!! Now, getting on with the books!

Bought
Delirium by Lauren Oliver
The Medusa Project: The Hostage by Sophie McKenzie
Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
The Ashley's by Melissa De La Cruz
Della Says OMG! by Keris Stainton
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Won
Signed copy of Noah Barleywater Runs Away (Thanks Caroline!)

Last Weeks Books!
Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve
Charlie's Story by Maeve Friel
A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park

(I got the above books from the school librararian (well, that's sort of what she is. She's a classroom help as well) She knows I love reading and gave me the last two books on the list. They both sound great!

Sorry I didn't do a proper IMM this week, it's just I'm really in a rush doing this post. I might edit it later on in the week, and make it a proper one. Well, goodbye and have a very Happy Easter everyone! =D =D =D

Follow Friday #3

2011-04-22T14:09:00.000-07:00

Follow Friday is a brilliant way for bloggers to find new friends and get more followers. It's hosted by Rachel at Parajunkees View.

This weeks feature blog is: The Cait Files

This week's bookish question is:

What's On Your Current Playlist?

Hmmmm, well, I'm not as into music as I used to be but I really like Bruno Mars, especially 'Just The Way You Are'. Grenade is good too :) My favourite band right now is The Script, I LOVE their song 'For The First Time'. My favourite genre is pop *ashamed face* I just love it, it's so catchy!

   Bye!

Cover of the Week #3

2011-04-18T07:54:00.000-07:00

I forgot to do this meme last week, sorry! I have decided to stop doing Teaser Tuesday and Waiting on Wednesday, because I think I'm doing too many memes! But anyway, this week's awesome cover is The Thirteen Curses by Michelle Harrison. It's AMAZING!

The Thirteen Treasures have become the Thirteen Curses. When fairies stole her brother, Red vowed to get him back. Now trapped in the fairy realm, she begs an audience with the fairy court where she strikes a bargain. Her brother will be returned - but only if she can find the thirteen charms of Tanya's bracelet that have been scattered in the human world. Returning to Elvesden Manor, Red is assisted by Tanya and Fabian and a desperate hunt begins. Soon they make a shocking discovery. The charms now have twisted qualities of the thirteen treasures they represent...and the longer they are missing the worse the consequences will be. Can Red, Tanya and Fabian find all the charms? And even if they do, will the fairies keep their promise?

It's GORGEOUS isn't it? I saw it and I just fell in love : ) I love the blue, and all the little designs around it are so magical and mysterious. If I saw this in a shop I would definitely pick it up. And I would probably buy it to, because the synopsis is intriguing!

P.S. I won't be posting until about Friday, because I'm going away for a few days. I don't have any books that need reviewing at the moment anyway, but hopefully I'll read a couple by the time I get back : ) Bye!

Non-Existent In My Mailbox

2011-04-17T11:20:00.000-07:00

I got no books this week : ( Sob! That's why it's a non-existent IMM because I got not books, viamailbox or otherwise : ( I ordered four awesome books off The Book Depository (love that website!!!) on Tuesday, but they haven't come yet. Hopefully they'll come next week and then I'll have some books to show you : ) Now, so this post isn't all plain, I'm going to post some random (but cool) pictures below : D (If you don't like animals, I suggest you skip this)

Sorry, they're all animal pictures! But animal pictures are the funniest : ) Bye!