Here at Burn Bright HQ we’re jiving! Burn Bright received an nomination for Best Novel from a tough field of over 180 eligible novels. You can read the full list of nominees here.

Among the nominees were lots of friends who are doing great work, including Marianne’s publisher for the Glitter Rose collection, Alisa Krasnostein and Twelfth Planet Press.

Congrats to everyone on the list and those that were eligible, including Mandy Wrangles, Belinda Hamilton and Cels Jansink – our wonderful writers here at Burn Bright. We are proud of their consistent, quality work bringing YA and genre fiction to our readers.

What is there to say other than thank you, thank you, thank you to Random House, Jaroslaw Kubicki and Astrid Hicks! LOVE!

In a world of extreme beauty, anyone normal is ugly.

The first book of a quartet written by Scott Westerfeld, Uglies stars a young girl named Tally Youngblood. She lives in a society where, at sixteen years old, everyone undergoes massive surgery to become Pretty. Pretties live the good life, never having to work, having fun all the time… and they look unconditionally beautiful.

Tally’s best friend Peris has already undergone the surgery and she can hardly wait to join him. She defies the rules by going into New Pretty town to see him and once she returns, she meets Shay, who, like Tally, is an Ugly. However, Shay doesn’t want to be Pretty. She wants to find the Smoke, a secret place where Uglies go. In the Smoke, no one has the surgery.

But Tally wants to be Pretty. She wants everything that being Pretty entails and so, when Shay leaves, she stays. And on the day of her sixteen birthday, she is faced with a choice: bring Shay back or be Ugly forever.

Uglies is an amazing, thought-provoking book. The plot is gripping and action-packed. There’s almost never a dull moment in the book. From Tally and Shay’s exploits, to Tally’s journey to the Smoke to what happens afterwards… Uglies keeps you interested throughout its entirety and that’s a great thing.

Tally’s character evolution is well-done and gradual. She struggles with her decisions and makes mistakes, as any other teenage would. She is a great character, and so are the ones that are gradually introduced as you progress into the book. The romance she develops later on is sweet and an important piece when it comes to her journey and what she has to do when she reaches the Smoke. It was not just that, though. Tally was used to finding only Pretties beautiful. The romance she develops is something that goes beyond looks and it’s quite endearing to see such a growth in her.

Another great thing about the book is that you’re rooting for Tally. You want her to make the right choices and you come to care about her. Her character, flawed as it is, does warm its way into your heart. I found the whole Pretty thing very disturbing. There was obviously some catch to it and I desperately wanted Tally to realize that.

When it comes to writing, Scott Westerfeld paints a rich picture of a post-apocalyptic world. Everything is clearly described and easy to imagine. Not to mention his vision is extremely interesting: cities are completely independent; no one eats meat or cuts down trees… It is thoroughly original and amazingly vivid.

Concept-wise, I thought Uglies was masterful. A society where anyone who is normal is considered ugly is just brilliant. The operation to be turned Pretty and the truth about it –  even more so. I was interested in this book ever since I read the summary, but it doesn’t just have a good concept: it’s also very well-executed.

To me, Uglies was a 1984 for younger people and I absolutely loved it. It ends in a cliffhanger and made me want to read its sequel as soon as I had the chance. It is that good.

“If night falls, all fall”

Malian has spent her whole life being trained to rule. As the Heir to the Keep of Winds, the oldest on the mountain range known as the Wall of Night, she is expected to uphold the long held traditions of her people at all costs- even if it is personal. The ancient enemy lurks and threatens to cast the world in shadow but Malian has never really experienced any of the threat first hand. That is until the enemy launches a direct attack on her home.

The Keep becomes a bloodbath as the twisted magic of the enemy sweeps through, slaying warrior, priest, woman and child alike. Fleeing to the Old Keep Malian manages to escape with her life but with the greatest danger her own dormant magic flares to life. In a world where magic has become a source of fear and those “cursed” with the old gifts are segregated in the Temples, Malian finds herself faced with a dire choice. To accept her powers and her destiny, she must be prepared to pay the price.

This has to be one of the best YA fantasy novels I’ve read in a long time. Teeming with beasties, mind blowing magic and a protagonist who captures your heart and attention from the very first passage, The Heir of Night ticks all the right boxes and more. The world is fresh and enthralling and the secrets and characters that roam the walls of the Keep will have your imagination running wild.

Lowe has painted a vivid tapestry full of colour that you are instantly transported into Malian’s life and the world comes to life right before your very eyes.  The action is thick and fast and the more harrowing and highly emotional scenes are crafted with such skill it’s like it’s happening to you. The characterisation is astounding. The entire main cast are well developed and their personalities leap of the page but leave enough mystery surrounding them that the part they may play is not given away too soon. The differing viewpoints throughout the story also add a refreshing depth without losing any of the pace or the strength of the authors voice.

I found myself totally swept away and all 447 pages flew by in a flurry just like the storms that sweep the Keep. This is certainly one of those novels that causes the outside world to cease to exist and Malian will firmly plant herself feet first into your imagination. Book two, The Gathering of the Lost is already on shelves and I can’t wait for the next nail bitting adventure.

The Heir of Night- Helen Lowe

Orbit

ISBN:978-0-356-50008-9

447 Pages

Find out more about the Wall here: http://helenlowe.info/index.html

“Whaaat? Lisa you just now started reading the Vampire Academy series? What’s wrong with you?”

I know, I know, you all probably want to throw rocks and sticks at me through this screen! But I just never got around to reading this series, and I really didn’t do too much research on them, to see what they’re about, or to check what some of my favourite book bloggers thought about them.

A while ago I finally got myself to purchase the first two books, but still months went by before I finally picked up the first book, and dug in!

To be honest … I regret not starting this series right when it hit the book store shelves!

Vampire Academy is about a girl (or vampire princess, same thing, right?) named Lissa and her guardian named Rose, who are just being forced back to their school called (take a wild guess, go ahead!) Vampire Academy, after running away and spending the last few months by themselves in the human world.

The Vampire Academy is a boarding school that not only vampires, but also their in-training guardians, attend.

Finally, arriving at the school, Lissa was just sent straight off to class while Rose was receiving her punishment for not “preventing” Lissa from running away. Rose is stuck in classes she needs to take as a senior, but she is also forced to take before and after school training lessons, and whatever free time Rose has left, she is forced to spend it in her dorm room.

Throughout dealing with coming back to school, not seeing each other very often, and just some regular old high school problems, the two girls find out that Lissa holds these immense powers! She can not only save people from dying, but she can even bring them back from the dead. Every time Lissa does this, she makes a huge sacrifice, she loses a pieces of her own soul!

Vampire Academy was nothing I thought it would be! I was really getting tired of this whole vampire thing, but this book puts a whole different spin on it! I love it, and I just want to punch myself for not reading it earlier! (Well at least I dont need have to wait, for what seems like forever, for another book in the series to come out!) If you haven’t picked up these books, I recommend you should!