Now you may have been reading this blog for over a year (I hope, but if not do some scrolling back we have some great stuff on here) and you may have noticed I am a HUGE fan of the Supanova Pop Culture expo.

This year is shaping up to be the most epic one ever, and I’m not just saying that because it gets bigger and bigger every year without fail… I’m saying it because there are now going to be six stops on the calendar.

Melbourne has theirs April 13-15. The new kid on the block, the Gold Coast (Queensland), is a week later April 20-22. Sydney gets their chance from June 15-17 Perth is June 22-24. Brisbane is November 9-11 and Adelaide rounds out the year November 16-18.

You may be wondering what the big hairy deal is; and if you are, my guess is you have never been to Supanova. Poor you, let me give you a really quick rundown of the awesome stuff you can expect from this much awaited expo.

The difficult part is where to start.

I guess you start with the pricing; it’s cheaper to go to Supanova than catching a flight to the USA, or the UK. (They’re the only other places I can think of who may have an event that might match this level of awesome.) Tickets for the Melbourne and Gold Coast expos go on sale in late February BTW.

Then the next thing you will notice is the level of participation. The crowds may be a little large; however there is always a cosplay competition and the costuming is always, always top notch. You may wish to dress up just for the heck of it, but be a good sport and be willing to have your photo taken, and if you are planning to be the photographer, be nice and ask your subject if it’s okay before snapping their pic.

Next it has to be the merchandise. Swords, anime, comics, bobble heads, clothing, costumes, posters and rare items that you may not see outside of the expo, are one of the main reasons my family turn up year after year. Oh, and considering the downturn of the bookshop gravy train, there is always a book stall selling a nice selection of sci fi fantasy books, and on that note we move to the next cool thing that Supanova is famous for, and that is authors. Check with the Supanova website closer to the date of your closest expo to see who will be the lucky ones to be signing and doing panels on various topics to do with their line of work.

But then the thing you may want to save up for is the guests from movies, tv and character voices from well-known anime series. Again check their website or friend them on facebook for updates on appearances and guest lists closer to the date.

If this hasn’t convinced you, then the only thing left to do is challenge you to go to your nearest Supanova pop culture expo and not have fun. Mission Impossible!

http://www.supanova.com.au/

http://www.facebook.com/supanovaexpo

The Principal told Winter Adams she has to try a little harder at school and consigns her as the photographer for the school newspaper. On her first assignment, she observes a beautiful stranger, and by taking his picture, sets into motion, a series of events that will forever change the way Winter views both herself and the world around her.

The chapter viewpoints shift between Blake’s mother in the late 1800’s and Winter in the present day. We’re finding out about the things that make Blake tick and also living through the revelation of truth as it hits Winter head on.

The cover art shows a red haired girl clinging helplessly to a young man. The teal hues of the forest that surround the couple make the flaming red of her hair pop. It is certainly eye catching with a romantic ambience.

I enjoyed the curly circumstances that come from left field adding an extraordinary level of adversity to overcome.

I thought perhaps Winter could have fought a little more rather than being the personification of a damsel in distress. I don’t quite know if it is my own prejudices or if I am just being hyper aware, but after so many accidents… if I was Winter I would have at least made myself fight back or avoid certain situations.

The end is left open for the next installment and my only hope for the next book is that Winter stops being such a push over.

All in all, the book was enjoyable and made a dreary rainy day far more pleasurable.

Meridian is a 16 year old Fenestra. In layman’s terms, she is the light people see as they are passing away. A month ago she had her life turned upside down and inside out by learning she is one of these part angel, part human beings, a window to the ‘other side’. But that story is contained within the pages of the book Meridian. Wildcat fireflies is the next installment of the story of Meridian and her protector, Tens.

Will Juliet hang on long enough for Merdiain and Tens to find her?

Or will the Aternocti that lurk in the very house Juliet calls home get to her first?

Now I must admit it seems like an eternity since I closed the cover of Meridian and began the wait for the next book to pop up on my local shelves. So it was with a great whoop of pleasure I found Wildcat Fireflies within the first few days of 2012 and added it swiftly to my library.

The cover is dark and somewhat brooding with accents of dark green butterflies, fireflies and curling vines twining their way around the front and back flaps. I’m not sure which character is portrayed on the front, but it looks to be the girl from the first book; I assume it is Meridian. Cover art is by Chad Michael Ward, and I think it’s beautiful.

Though 506 pages, I found myself leaping through the last 350 in a single morning. The storylines flow, the setting is extremely vivid and the characters are brilliant (even the nasty ones.)

There is a new tension between Tens and our heroine that I wasn’t expecting; it went a long way to making the couple seem more realistic on a basic level.

I loved the way the country town was portrayed as I have personally found them to be; friendly and warm, but with deep secrets, and sometimes a thread of evil lurking.

Trying to find anything that I didn’t like about Wildcat Fireflies is more ordeal than I would bother with; I just wish I’d owned it sooner. If you haven’t read Meridian, read it before this one. Though this book can stand on its own, you get more emotion for the situation and more empathy for the plight of the Fenestra.

You will adore the tale Amber weaves. So much heart and soul went into the telling, pun completely intended.

Australian release date November 2011

Paperback 506 pages

Random House

http://www.amberkizer.com/

http://www.meridiansozu.com/

Hey everyone!

And welcome to my review of The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab! I’ve finished this book about a week ago, and already wrote my review on my personal blog, Turning Pages. But since it can be hard to write two different reviews right after one another, especially when you don’t want them to be anything a like, I usually wait a while until I start my Burn Bright review, taking my time, and letting my mind wander.

Waiting for a week or so, allows me to think of different ways to express what I liked about a book, keeping things fresh and new. So if you want to ever read another review of one of my books, you can just go ahead and check out my personnel reviews.

Without further a do, let’s get reviewin’!

The Near Witch, wasn’t exactly on my wishlist. There was tons of hype about it, not only in the blogging world, but between my friends from school too. Even with The Near Witch being around me at all times, I just wasn’t that interested, it just didn’t catch my attention. But also I’m always worried about reading books that have tons of hype, simply because it is a little disappointing when you don’t get as much out of it as all your friends and blogging buddies.

But after, lots of talking me into it, being asked to review it, and a few threats from friends, I finally decided to pick it up, and give it a go. Before I knew it, I was half way through!

The main character’s name is Lexi, who’s father passed away three years ago. Since than her mother isn’t who she was once before, her uncle is trying to do his best to replace her dad, and the only other people in her life is her little sister, Wren, and the two sisters (two older witches, that live just outside of Lexi’s town).

After a few local kids go missing in the middle of the night, a stranger who just recently came to the small town of Near is accused without any evidence. The local men (including her uncle), trying to bring the children back, and protect the rest, go out looking for this stranger. Lexi, knowing this isn’t right, goes to the sisters, trying to find out if they know anything about this mysterious man.

After meeting him, naming him Cole, and developing feelings for him, Lexi will do anything to stop her uncle and the other local men, from hunting and killing Cole.

The Near Witch was honestly nothing like what I thought it would be. I started reading it, without even knowing what it was about, but I loved it. The characters were amazing, even though Lexi’s uncle was kind of making me angry at times. But he was just doing, the same thing my loved ones would do to keep me safe.

Not only did I really enjoy reading The Near Witch, but I also learned a huge lesson, don’t just turn down a book, simple if it has a huge hype, and I don’t want to be disappointed; takes some risks.

Thanks for stopping by! 🙂

Lisa

• ISBN-13: 9781423137870
• Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children
• Publication date: 8/2/2011
• Pages: 288