This middle grade trilogy is set in the early 1800′s and is and is very much Jane Austen-esk with it’s emphasis on etiquette, propriety and high society.

Book one Kat, Incorrigible, brings us in on a typical middle class British blended family. Four children, widowed father and a step mother who’s only concern is marrying off her stepdaughters to wealthy gentlemen. However Kathrine (Kat) has other ideas. She discovers the mother she never knew has left her a legacy of magical talent and she will stop at nothing to keep her family safe… even if it is improper and not at all ladylike.

Book 2 Renegade Magic, Kat is happy enough to see one sister happily married, however now her other sister has gone and created a situation where their step mother has shipped them all off to Bath to find her a suitor. Heavens above! How will Kat fix this?

Book 3 Stolen Magic, What to do, What to do? Somebody is out to get Kat. She’s being followed and her family seems to be in the line of fire. Can Kat save the day before her sister’s big day?

I enjoyed this series immensely and I think it’s my love for strong female protagonists that really sealed the deal. Katherine is delightfully persistent and unashamed of her family history. Her sisters are of the same vein, however they’ve realised their place in society, and in the 1800′s status was everything. As for Charles… well you’ll have to find out for yourselves.

I’ve never been to the UK, so the settings seem real and plausible to my naive mind. The thought of travelling to a Castle anywhere seems like such an adventure all on it’s own, but to add magic and high society to the mix made me quite excited to read on.

I’m not really a die hard fan of the accuracy of the era, so shows like Lost in Austen and this Kat Incorrigible book trilogy, add a level of normalcy and rebellion that make it far easier to consume.

I found myself day dreaming about the possible outcomes in certain scenes and Stephanie Burgis kept me on my toes for a good part of the series.

I would suggest this book to middle graders and older who want to wade gently into the era of Jane Austen and see how they find it, or for those who want to take a lighter journey through the early 1800′s from a young girls perspective.

It would be perfect on a rainy, dreary day when you can imagine yourself in England and not so very far away from the heart of the action.

http://www.stephanieburgis.com/

Kat, Incorrigible Paperback, 295 pages

Published April 3rd 2012 by Atheneum Books for Young Readers (first published January 1st 2010)

ISBN: 1416994483 (ISBN13: 9781416994480)

Renegade Magic Paperback, 352 pages

Published March 5th 2013 by Atheneum Books for Young Readers (first published August 1st 2011)

ISBN: 1416994505 (ISBN13: 9781416994503)

Stolen Magic Hardcover, 400 pages

Published April 2nd 2013 by Atheneum Books for Young Readers (first published October 1st 2012)

ISBN: 1416994513 (ISBN13: 9781416994510)

I finally got my slack behind around to reading this charming book. Actually I had to read book one, Wake, first so Lullaby would make sense. I suggest you do the same as this isn’t really a series forgiving enough to be able to pick up from anywhere. Definitely get your ducks in a row.

The story is told from 2 perspectives. Gemma is dealing with the fall out from Wake and Harper is picking up the pieces from back home (that’s as much as I can go into without massive spoilers).

There are a few things I adored about the Watersong books.

I like how Amanda Hocking approaches the idea of a family unit dealing with a loved one suffering from a brain injury. At no stage is there a truly harsh word spoken to their mother. I love how they cope in their own ways with the tragic nature of how the brain injury has affected the ‘normal’ family dynamic, and they make it work.

I found I was pleased that the character with the large tattoo on his back, Daniel, is pretty much just a regular guy. In most books I’ve read in the past, tattoos equated to a bad person. Someone who couldn’t be trusted and would sooner kick your grandmother than wish you a good morning. Daniel is a kind hearted, hard working, sweet, gentleman. Which probably more accurately represents the majority of people with tattoos.

Lastly the element of Lullaby I enjoyed the most was the road trip scene. Sure the guys were talking about Harper, but they were doing so in a respectful way. I think far too many times when two male characters are conversing about a love interest, the talk turns a tad lecherous and demeaning to the girl at the heart of their banter. Yay for women’s rights!

The one thing that had me a little ~scrunched face~ was the sudden psychic connection Harper and Gemma have for one moment in the book. I don’t recall it being there at any other stage and it was perhaps just a little too convenient to be a smooth addition to the mix. We will see how it is carried through into book 3, Tidal due out in June 2013.

This is a light read with the decent message of respecting your family, and very light on with the damsel in distress stuff. There’s romance, suspense and sirens/ evil mermaids. Sounds like the perfect summer read to me. Remember to pack it when you’re heading to the beach.

http://amandahocking.blogspot.com.au/

Paperback, 352 pages

Published December 6th 2012 by Tor (first published November 27th 2012)

ISBN 1447205731 (ISBN13: 9781447205739)

~deep breath iiiiiinnnnn…. deep breath oouuuuuut~ I’m counting here as well.

Now you may be asking me why it is I am acting like I’m in labour over a book. If you’re not, perhaps you’ve already read Hot Blooded, and know exactly why I am being rather strange.

I’ll start with my impressions on the cover art. Not a fan of the model. The dress is fine, but the hair and the make-up free face is far too stark for the back drop of wolves, mountains, pine forest and a huge full moon. For the sake of the story, her expression is far too blank. There is also what looks like an aged effect over the page to make it look like it’s been folded. To me it just looks like the artist forgot to erase their placement marks. I also missed the embossed title lettering from Unleashed. I’m usually a big fan of red overlays and sepia tones, but this one just didn’t do it for me. Sorry ladies.

Once I got over the cover there was a story to be read, and boy, what a story.

In Unleashed Kat is bitten and becomes a werewolf. In Hot Blooded she’s adjusting to living in both the regular human world, and coming to terms with being the bottom wolf in the Fenners pack. The transition isn’t running as smoothly as she’d like due to the alpha wolf being consumed by dementia, and her best friend, Cordelia, being banished from the pack. The only thing standing between her and certain death is Justin. And what on earth is the story behind the contents of the boxes in her grand father’s shed.

I love the way, for Kat and Justin, the boundaries between human nature and the inner wolf collide, sometimes living in harmony, and at other times the inner turmoil must be exhausting. It’s nice to know it goes beyond teen angst and a petty conscience.

The setting of Wolf Springs and the woods make me imagine clean fresh air and bird song. But don’t let the peaceful atmosphere lull you into a false sense of security. Nature is a cruel and unforgiving thing. I think it adds an eerie backdrop to an already gritty storyline. If book three picks up where this one left off, the weather will become a character of it’s own and add a whole new layer of complications to an already tense situation. Looking forward to that.

And since I’ve talked about everything besides the ending it is safe to assume my behaviour at the start of this review has to do with that. It’s not fair. I don’t like Niagara falls high cliff hangers and OH MY GOODNESS I could stamp my foot in rage. Where the hell is the next book. I need it NOW!

I was grabbed by the scruff of the neck from the first page and my brain was rattled around by the constant fast pace of the plot line. If real life and headaches didn’t get in my way I would have had this finished in under a day. The final hundred or so pages were beyond gripping and I got to the last page in record time.

I recommend this series if you’ve enjoyed the Maggie Stiefvater’s Wolves of Mercy Falls Series and Alyson Noel’s Soul Seeker’s series. They have similar themes and I think the three heroines would probably get along swimmingly.

Let us know what you thought.

http://www.wolfspringschronicles.com/

http://nancyholder.com/

http://debbieviguie.com/

Paperback 382

Published December 1st 2012 by Doubleday Children’s

ISBN 0857530720 (ISBN13: 9780857530721)

After reading Pure by Julianna Baggot, I pretty much dread post apocalyptic novels. I hope I never come across anything that graphic and disturbing again. So when Lisa, Krista and I were trying to figure out the book club books for the first few months of this year and Fragments by Dan Wells hit the radar, I knew I would have to go and get myself a copy of Partials so I knew what I was facing and if I could hack it.

Not only could I hack it. I tore through this book, cover to cover, in under 14 hours. I was able to close the book, go to sleep and not have horrific nightmares.

Now this is not to say it’s a sugary sweet tale of romance, love and devotion. It is raw and heart breaking and scary… mainly because, as with so many post apocalyptic novels, it is not totally outside the realms of possibility.

The goodreads blurb says…

“The human race is all but extinct after a war with Partials–engineered organic beings identical to humans–has decimated the population. Reduced to only tens of thousands by RM, a weaponized virus to which only a fraction of humanity is immune, the survivors in North America have huddled together on Long Island while the Partials have mysteriously retreated. The threat of the Partials is still imminent, but, worse, no baby has been born immune to RM in more than a decade. Our time is running out.

Kira, a sixteen-year-old medic-in-training, is on the front lines of this battle, seeing RM ravage the community while mandatory pregnancy laws have pushed what’s left of humanity to the brink of civil war, and she’s not content to stand by and watch. But as she makes a desperate decision to save the last of her race, she will find that the survival of humans and Partials alike rests in her attempts to uncover the connections between them–connections that humanity has forgotten, or perhaps never even knew were there.”

I could really feel the heat of frustration from Kira through her inner dialogue and her actions. I found myself wanting to throw the book more than once. I didn’t even mind the minor foreshadowing that occured a few times through the novel, I guess some of it was a little predictable, but only because you learn which characters to expect the worst from and they certainly didn’t disappoint in their grrrr factor.

Being a young mother myself, the thought of having the government telling my daughter she has to have her children at an even younger age than I had her, made my blood boil. Then the fact that the infants would ALL die was beyond the highest level of despicable. As far as tropes* go it has to be the worst one to be used in such an effective way. I forgive Dan for using it, mainly because the whole point of the book was to stop it from happening.

Dan has woven a wonderfully eerie world for his story to unfold. His characterization is in in-depth and believable. Kira was suitably intelligent and kind hearted and she’s going to evolve like crazy in Fragments. I am thoroughly looking forward to April to see how Kira continues to kick some serious butt.

*explanation of this Trope

http://www.thedanwells.com/

Paperback,International First Edition, 470 pages

Published March 1st 2012 by HarperCollins (first published January 1st 2012)

ISBN 0062135694 ISBN13: (9780062135698)

How lucky were we to have 2 books of the Soul Seekers series by Alyson Noel on our shelves in 2012?

Where the cover of Fated was all about the warm yellows and the earthy tones, Echo is all about winter. Snow flakes and a girl in a flowing white dress with really full skirts draws you in, only to have you look a little deeper and notice an ominous looking tunnel leading to god knows where.

Here’s the blurb from goodreads.com

“She inherited a magical destiny—and a mission to stop a powerful family of dark sorcerers. She never expected to fall in love with one of them.

There’s still so much Daire Santos has to learn about being the last Soul Seeker….and about herself. As her magical training becomes more intense, so does her relationship with Dace. But when she learns that his connection to the evil Richter family goes far deeper than she ever imagined, she begins to question if love really can conquer all.

Dace is painfully aware that he wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for the Richters’ dark magic—and now his brother Cade is determined to use his love for Daire against him. Dace is willing to sacrifice anything to protect the girl he loves —including his own life. But will Daire allow it? And what if defeating Cade costs not only his life, but his soul too?”

I giggled with anticipation when I got this book in the mail (my mail lady thinks I’m nuts) and I couldn’t wait to turn to that first page and re-immerse myself into the world of Enchantment.

Darie’s circle of friends grows and I love to see forgiveness rather than gullibility in my hard-ass heroines. It’s also refreshing to see Daire’s Mum still being treated with respect by the author. It would have been way to easy to just throw her in the ‘parental units must fail‘ basket and be done with it.

The disturbing bits are extremely effective and the action sequences are well mapped out and easy to follow.

For those of us who love a bit of romance, there’s ample mush and kisses to keep us happy, but not so much that it’s the main focus of the plot line.

As I keep repeating, it’s always a good idea to read the series in order, to get an accurate grasp of character development and story arcs. It is with good reason that the third book, Mystic, is on my most anticipated books of 2013 list.

http://www.alysonnoel.com/

Paperback,352 pages

Published November 13th 2012 by St. Martin’s Griffin

ISBN: 0312575661 (ISBN13: 9780312575663)

Anne Bishop has held my attention for many years. She’s had me giggling, crying and just completely enthralled by her Black Jewels series. So you know the drill… see a new series coming out and HAVE to read it.

First impressions of Written in Red are quite good. This is a lovely thick book. Cover art in black and white, with a red title. The image of a girl with her head bowed is set within the shape of a howling wolf and placed against a white backdrop. Very effective.

Meg Corbyn is a Cassandra Sangue or a blood prophet. With each bloody wound she is able to see events in her future. When she escapes from the institution, where she’d been held all her life for the financial gain of her ‘owners’, the search is on to find her and put her back in the institution to keep the profits coming (pun intended).

Finding herself in the book shop, Howling Good Reads, within the Courtyard run by Simon Wolfguard, Meg seeks employment and a safe place to stay. Simon agrees and an odd relationship blooms between this sheltered young woman and the ‘Others’ in the Courtyard. Heaven help the people who come to retrieve Meg, because nobody else will.

Because I am so used to Anne’s writing being set in alternate realities, but more a dark ages time frame, I was pleasantly surprised to see this one is set in a more contemporary era. I think this allows for familiarity, and still gave the room to spin fantastical tales of were animals and elementals.

There is only so much searching through dusty old books by candle light to research werewolves that one can take before you’re begging for a scene change. Using the internet for one character to research another makes the story flow better.

I found the banter to be extremely witty, and yes I did it again, snort-giggling on the bus makes for some rather odd looks from fellow commuters. Not that I cared. Two words for you “Stag” “Stick”. Yup, you’ll understand soon enough. Dare you not to laugh out loud.

The historical back story, espionage and the current political tensions in Thaisia are woven neatly into the story. Romance is kept to non essential characters, and the cultural misunderstandings make for even more giggle-worthy pages.

I thoroughly enjoyed the 4 days it took me to finish the book. There’s just something about the mental image of a grown werewolf playing tug of war with a box of dog biscuits that tickles my funny bone.

The ending is a brilliant lead into book two, which I hope is already in the pipeline, because I’ve fallen head over tail for Meg and Simon’s story.

http://www.annebishop.com/

Trade Paperback 434 Pages

Published March 1^st by Harper Voyager

ISBN: 9780732296810

I’m a late comer to the Pandora English series by Tara Moss, and since I’m a stickler for reading a series in order and getting the back catalogue read before hitting my review copy, it’s taken me a while to get to The Skeleton Key.

As with the other 2 novels, the cover art is striking and evocative. Each element becoming a little more relevant while reading the book. I’m not usually a huge fan of the colour green, however the use of it on The Skeleton Key is quite pleasing to the eye and not just a little bit creepy. Considering the foe Pandora has to thwart this time around it is incredibly apt.

Pandora is an orphaned 19 year old country bumpkin trying to make her way in the big smoke of New York. Now don’t take this young lady as a simple-minded lass, ’cause she keeps company with some very odd folks, and has taken down some pretty horrendous evil beings in previous books.

This time around Pandora is trying to kibosh the efforts of a strong presence in the mansion she calls home, from sending the world into rack and ruin, starting with Lieutenant Luke.

I enjoyed the positive demeanour of the good people in this series. It was a funk breaker and didn’t fail to put a smile on my face. I’m still tossing up who I like more, great-aunt Celia or Morticia.

Tara is a master of suspenseful writing and there was plenty of breath holding going on in the second half of the book. We find out things about Pandora that make perfect sense, but are still surprises and Jay is back on the scene to add to the budding love triangle.

I hope the series continues to grow and challenge the reader. I want Pandora English to hold her own in saving the world from paranormal events.

However it goes in future, I loved the first 3 books. They’re fun and easy to get through. Perfect for the holidays and those weekends when you just want to unwind.

http://taramoss.com/

Paperback, 286 pages

Published December 1st 2012 by Pan Macmillan Australia

ISBN13: 9781742611631

I cannot recall quite how long ago I saw a few of the pencil mock up’s for this LONG awaited book.

I was blown away by the beauty in just those graphite suggestions, and I’m pretty sure I did a happy dag dance right there on the spot next to Kylie, in public, at a signing. ~I apologise to the people of Carindale~ The thought of one of my favourite local authors being immortalised in a graphic novel was truly something that made me smile from ear to ear.

Though I’d never heard of Queenie Chan at the time, I’d fallen instantly in love with her work. Stepping forward (I’m pretty sure it’s been close to 18 months almost 2 years later) and I’ve now seen her work holding it’s own on Yunyu’s Twisted Tales tour in early 2012; making me want this book to become a reality all the more.

There may or may not have been a shimmering light and a choir of angels heralding the moment I finally sat down and opened Small Shen for the first time in the final days of 2012. Can you tell I was excited?

And the verdict is… Oh my goodness if you don’t own this book get yourself one, and buy one for a friend.

The thing I love probably above most things is it is a combination of well thought out and beautiful graphic novel and genuinely lovely storytelling. How can you not love a great story and pretty pictures of characters you’d only previously seen in your head.

If you haven’t read Kylie’s books it now allows you to make the decision of if you want to start the series where the rest of us did with White Tiger, or getting a jump on us all and starting with Small Shen.

That’s right, it’s a prequel. It leads you from 1720AD up into the opening scenes of White Tiger. We hop backwards and forwards through time and learn delightful details about what makes many of the characters tick.

The flow is a little stilted by the time change, but it works because there is no question of what era you’re in. The characterisation is flawless and is enhanced ten fold by Queenie’s eye for detail.

I had this book done in under a day and it took some serious self control to not take it along with me when hitting the after Christmas sales to read in the queues.

Both Kylie and Queenie are masters of their respective crafts and Harper Voyager must have had a genius day when they allowed the idea to become an actuality.

I’m putting my request in now for a colouring book of Kylie’s characters drawn by Queenie. Even big kids love to grab the crayons every now and again.

So the only question that remains… and Kylie literally gets this at least a hundred times or more at every signing…

When’s the next book coming out?!

http://kyliechan.com/

http://www.queeniechan.com/

Paperback,352 pages

Published December 1st 2012 by HarperCollinsPublishers Australia

ISBN 0732289831 (ISBN13: 9780732289836)

I’ve followed this author over from her adult romance series about a town called Broken Heart, under the pen name Michele Bardsley. She’s gone from making me cackle with her tales of vampirism and parenthood, to blowing me away with her first novel within the Young Adult framework.

Undeadly was on my ‘must have this book or I will raise hell’ list and I was so concerned it wasn’t going to be released in Australia, I made sure I had it on pre order from Book Depository as early as August. Since then I have seen it proudly gracing the shelves in Big W right along side all the other best sellers this year.

So if you haven’t already picked up this magnificent book yet, here’s the down low from good reads.

“ The day I turned 16, my boyfriend-to-be died. I brought him back to life. Then things got a little weird…

Molly Bartolucci wants to blend in, date hottie Rick and keep her zombie-raising abilities on the down-low. Then the god Anubis chooses her to become a reaper—and she accidentally undoes the work of another reaper, Rath. Within days, she’s shipped off to the Nekyia Academy, an elite boarding school that trains the best necromancers in the world. And her personal reaping tutor? Rath.

Life at Nekyia has its plusses. Molly has her own personal ghoul, for one. Rick follows her there out of the blue, for another…except, there’s something a little off about him. When students at the academy start to die and Rath disappears, Molly starts to wonder if anything is as it seems. Only one thing is certain—-Molly’s got an undeadly knack for finding trouble….”

The Reaper Diaries is completely standing on it’s own at the moment in the market as far as I am concerned. We have a few series where the main protagonist is involved with helping souls pass over, however what sets Vail’s book aside is her fresh angle of using Egyptian Mythology. I can’t help but think there are probably a few authors out there smacking their heads right now; after all the Egyptians are one of the earliest civilisations to believe in the afterlife and leave enough evidence to inspire and intrigue us to this day.

If that’s not enough to have to popping out of your chair to bug someone to take to the nearest Big W, let me give you a few of the other elements that have me bouncing for next year’s release of book two, Unchosen.

Language. Molly is what I consider to be a typical (not stereo typical) sixteen year old girl. She speaks like she’s sixteen, as in, she’s okay with her age… not like some of the novels this year where the leading lady has to go to boarding school and tries way too hard to fit in and ultimately ends up sounding like nails down a blackboard in my head. Also the signature draw card of the author, in my opinion, is the humour.

Settings and world building is generously rich, but not so much that you’re wanting the characters to hit the big landmarks. The characters hold the stage and they will not be outshone for anything.

This book really isn’t like anything else I’ve read this year. If you want a fun, summer romp, this is a good one to look out for. It would by far pass the tests of Ma’at. Just sayin’

http://www.michelevail.com/

Paperback, 272 pages

Published November 20th 2012 by Harlequin Teen

ISBN: 0373210469(ISBN13: 9780373210466)

Best books of 2012

Throne of Glass – Sarah J Mass

Falling to Ash – Karen Mahoney

God Save the Queen – Kate Locke

Besieged - Rowena Corey Daniels

Shine Light – Marianne de Pierres

Most Anticipated for 2013

Spirit – Brigid Kemmerer

Mystic – Alyson Noel

The Queen is Dead – Kate Locke

Hot Blooded – Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguie

Last Blood – Kristen Painter

Books that were and are are to be released at the end of 2012 that I am itching to read but don’t fit into either of the other 2 lists

Undeadly – MicheleVail

Speed of Light – Amber Kizer

Darkness Hunts – Keri Arthur

Days of Blood and Starlight – Laini Taylor

Small Shen – Kylie Chan