The war between our world and that of Faerie, all but annihilated both sides. The magic left behind has warped nature; the tree’s no longer just crave air, sun and water but blood and bone as well. The tech has all been destroyed and life is one day of back breaking work after the other. Even the simple task of growing food can be deadly- these day’s all the plants have minds of their own. Venturing out alone into the dark is to be avoided at all costs- none ever comes back, and those born with the traits of the faerie must be put to death.

Liza once had a newborn sister, born with the tell-tale pale hair as clear as glass and eyes as silver as moonlight; she is left to die on hillside the very night of her birth. After all her Father is nothing but a sensible man and it is his rules that have kept their Town relatively safe from the scourge of magic since the war’s end. Unfortunately for Liza not only is she too late to save her sister, her Mother runs away soon after and worse of all, she finds her own kind of magic blossoming. She must run to not only save her life, but to ensure she does no harm.  But has she been told the truth about magic and Faerie all this time? Is there a place for magic still left in the world?

“Bones of Faerie” so transfixed me from the very beginning, I was over a 100 pages through before it felt like I even remembered to breathe.  Liza’s world is dark and dangerous and has the feel of a twisted fairy-tale. There are hidden dangers to overcome, monsters that lurk in the shadow and an overwhelming sense of malice that will leave your heart thumping. The plot is so deeply woven with secrets, twisted truths and danger that at times you will be tempted to run under the nearest rock and hide- or just be extremely thankful it’s Liza and co in the thick of it and not you. This is Simner’s first novel for young adults and she has certainly made her subject her own. This is fresh and takes the whole Fae/Human relations to a whole new level yet remains loyal to long held “beliefs”.

Both worlds are described so visually you are instantly transported to the deep dark forest or standing in the barren remains of Faerie being coated with the falling ash.

The character development is strong with all the mains and secondaries alike leaping off the pages. The magic is intoxicating and will leave you wishing for your own. This is a heartbreaking tale of one girl’s quest to find her destiny.

“Bones of Faerie” is followed by “Faerie Winter” and if it is anywhere near as good as its predecessor, I may just need a life support system so I don’t forget to breathe.

Bones of Faerie- Janni Lee Simner

Random House Australia

ISBN:978-1-74275-065-1

247 Pages

Elixir

By Hilary Duff

Paperback, 336 pages

Published June 7th 2011 (first published October 12th 2010)

Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing

ISBN 1442408545 (ISBN13: 9781442408548)

Summary

Clea Raymond has felt the glare of the spotlight her entire life. The daughter of a renowned surgeon and a prominent Washington DC politician, she has grown to be a talented photojournalist who takes refuge in a career that allows her to travel to the most exotic parts of the world. But after Clea’s father disappears while on a humanitarian mission, Clea’s photos begin to feature eerie, shadowy images of a strange and beautiful man—a man she has never seen before.

When fate brings Clea and this man together, she is stunned by the immediate and powerful connection she feels with him. As they grow closer, they are drawn deep into the mystery behind her father’s disappearance, and they discover the centuries old truth behind their intense bond. Torn by a dangerous love triangle and haunted by a powerful secret that holds their fates, together they race against time to unravel their pasts in order to save their lives—and their futures.

Belinda says:

Beginning

The opening scene has Clea suffering a small panic attack on a dance floor in Paris.  We are then introduced to our other three key characters within the next chapter or two. First impressions were accurate to a fault.

Ending

You’ll never pick it so I’m not gonna spoil it for you.

Favorite Quotes

~In dreams and love there are no impossibilities.

~“Am I allowed to have a moment of ‘ew’ for my poor deflowered passenger seat?” Rayna

Cover

The cover of Elixir comes in a couple of variations. The first is a dark purple background and an overhead shot of an Iris bloom. The copy that Lisa and I own is designed by Lizzy Bromley. It’s a lighter blue background with a photo of Hilary (or at least I assume it is Hilary), and a male face superimposed over an image of a couple of film cells. I feel that the lighter blue cover portrays the story far better than the Iris cover.

However I do feel that the use of Hilary’s image detracts a smidgen from the character Clea, as it takes long enough to get a clear mental image of Clea, without the red herring of thinking she is Hilary.

Characters

Favourite

Ben would have to be my favourite character by far. He’s a safe haven for Clea and though he would like something more from their friendship, he is smart enough to step aside to allow a relationship between Clea and the mystery man she first sees in her photos to blossom. He means well and his past coming back to haunt him didn’t stop me from liking him.

Least Favourite

Victoria Weston. Clea’s Mum. UGH the woman drove me up the wall! Where do I start with all the things she did to bug the living hell out of me? Nope I won’t go into it, spoilers. Just sufficed to say her maternal instincts were probably left in the first draft, never to be seen again. Sure if she had actually acted like a mother it would have stalled the storyline but OMG she would not be on any parent of the year award lists in my opinion.  I wanted to kick her ass.

Storyline

Though Hilary’s is the only name of the front cover, her collaborator for Elixir is Elise Allen (Populazzi). The pair created a book that stands out on a shelf full of dark, and gothic novels. [Note from Marianne: why doesn’t she get more credit – that doesn’t see right??]

There aren’t too many YA books out there currently where a guy and a girl are ‘just friends’ so it was a little refreshing to see Clea and Ben not knocking boots or swapping spit.

I enjoyed Elixir for the glamorous settings and the heart stopping moments when things weren’t going Clea’s way.  There were jovial moments and mysterious scenes that intertwine to make a memorable book. Probably the scene I most identify with is the opening chapter with Clea having a mild panic attack, but you’ll have to read it to find out why.

The second installment in the Elixir series is called Devoted and I’ve already seen it on the shelves in Dymocks, though it wasn’t due out ‘officially’ until October 11^th 2011. When my TBR pile dwindles a little I’ll be adding it to my library.

Lisa says:

Cover

When it comes to the cover, I really like the paperback versions Belinda and I have, better. Which is a little odd, because I usually don’t like having characters on book covers. The other version, as Belinda was explaining, has a kind of dark purple background, and a overview of a iris bloom.

It’s true, the iris bloom was included in the story, it wasn’t just random! BUT! I felt it wasn’t in the story line enough to base the whole cover off of it.

Characters

Favorite:

Clea’s best friend/sister, Rayna has to be my favorite character, even though I agree with Belinda, Ben is such a sweetheart.

Rayna, just seems like a fun girl to be around, and who would do anything for Clea, which includes getting her some alone time with the mystery man; Sage. But only if, Clea fills her in with what happened, and gives her every single detail.

We’re girls! It’s what we dooo!

Least Favorite:

Once again I’m totally on Belinda’s side! There were so many things that Clea’s mom did, or should I say didn’t do, that made me want to grab her by the shoulders and give a her a good shake!

Women! Open your eyes! Take care of your daughter! Don’t you have any kind of motherly instincts?

Beginning

When you look at the cover, the girl almost looks like Hilary Duff and probably is (at least I think it’s her), which throw me completely off! I thought I was reading a story about Hilary Duff. But it starts talking about some girl named Clea, and her two best friends Rayna and Ben. The first thirty pages, I was in a stage of complete confusion.

Story Line

After getting to page 50, I was finally on the right track. I finally understood the story had nothing at all to do with Hilary Duff herself.

Almost every single YA book, I’ve read this past summer has had a love triangle in it (and never one with two girls, and one boy either!). Elixir starts drifting off into that direction, when Ben and Clea catch Sage in Rio, and she starts having feelings for the mystery man.

But Elixir, doesn’t have the usual love triangle. Ben is actually sweet, and steps aside to let Clea have a relationship with Sage. But making sure he’s always there, in case Clea gets hurt by him.

Ending

Absolutely blow my mind! I would have never known, this book would be so good! Two weeks ago, I wasn’t even sure if I should waste my time on it. And now, I can’t wait to get my hands onto Devoted, the second book to Elixir.

Expectations

Honestly, I don’t think I expected much. Not because of the story itself, but probably because it was written by Hilary Duff. Who knew she could write? I started reading Elixir, with no real feelings, thoughts or much care.

But Hilary Duff’s writing style is amazing! Her words, slapped me in the face, and proved me wrong! WHO knew she could write like this?

Quotes

1. “My heart thudded against what I wanted to say. ‘In the dreams I’m them. All of them: Olivia, Catherine, Anneline, Delia…'”

2. “I closed the distance between us and kissed him. I felt dizzy and hot and floaty, like every cliche….but it was true.”

Let us know what you thought of Elixir by Hilary Duff. Don’t forget that BBBC members get a chance to win some of Belinda’s beautiful jewellery.

If you are on Facebook then Book Lover’s Club is about to start a Week of MDP. Every day there will be a giveaway of one of Marianne’s books, culminating in the grand prize which is copies of Burn Bright, Angel Arias and Angel Arias the song. During their week they’ll be running reviews and articles about MDP, so you can catch up on the latest and what people are saying about The Night Creatures trilogy.

In addition to that The Spotlight Report will be running an interview next week with Marianne and Yunyu about their collaboration. Marianne also has upcoming interviews at My Bookish Ways and Paperback Princess blogs. So look out for them.

Also if you want to see what Marianne imagines some of her characters to look like then head over and LIKE the Burn Bright Facebook page. She’ll be putting up images of Lenoir, Markes, Naif and Joel later today.

One last thing – if you’ve written a review of Angel Arias, email the link to Marianne though the BB contact form and receive a nice surprise!

The Cloud Roads by Martha Wells

reviewed by Belinda Hamilton

I was given the opportunity to read a book last week that I wasn’t overly sure about. I am not usually one for reading books in e-book format as I like to have a physical product in my hand to make a proper judgment on.  It was a pleasant surprise to be blown away by an incredible tale of survival and political intrigue. It impressed me so much that the format blended into the background and ended up not making one ounce of difference to my opinion of the story.

Moon thought he was the last of his kind. To avoid terminal loneliness he hides his second form and lives with groundlings in his own version of a groundling shape. He is constantly being found out and shunned by the tribes he adopts. It isn’t until he is discovered in his winged form once again, and is chained for the dreaded Fell to eat alive, that he is rescued by a stranger. Stone is his savior and offers him a place amongst his colony. Moon, being the suspicious creature he is, waits for the truth to come out and for this new community to continue the trend and shun him. The truth however, is not what Moon was expecting.

Martha Wells weaves this tale with threads of gold. The character dynamics are meaty and believable. I liked the natural humor that pops up in the most unsuspecting places.  The political intrigue is not overdone or tasteless; an you can’t even really fault the ethical angle of the Fell. If I had to pick one fault with the story, I would have liked to feel more ingrained in some of the settings. Though most of the description was magnificent and rich, I still felt like one or two scenes needed a smidge more description to have me completely hooked.

This is one of the most entertaining explorations of Darwin’s theory I have read for a really long time. Thank you, Martha, for proving me wrong; books in electronic format can read just as well as a paperback.

The Cloud Roads– Martha Wells

Published March 1, 2011, by Night Shade Books

Various formats, 300 pages

[intlink id=”6133″ type=”post”]Read Krista’s review of this book[/intlink]

Mole Hunt by Paul Collins

reviewed by Phil Coss

From the towering floating metropolis of Arcadia to the lone backwater station of Reema’s End, Mole Hunt is going to keep you glued to your chair hungering for more with every turn of the page. This is Paul Collins’ latest book, the first part of a trilogy in the sci fi/speculative fiction genre.

Maximus Black is the story’s central figure, though he’s far from a hero. Though a genius, this eighteen year old RIM cadet is a ruthless, manipulative psycopath bent on total domination of the whole galaxy. And through his ingenuity and with the help of a mysterious alien creature known as the Envoy, he just might get what he wants.

However all is not lost. There is another star agent in RIM hot on his tail in the pursuit of revenge and justice. She is none other than Anneke Longshadow, Black’s moral opposite and equal genius. It’s not often that one encounters a female hero just as complex and driven as the antagonist. Once RIM (Regis Imperium Mentatis) detected a traitor in their midst,  Anneke is dispatched to bring this enemy to justice.

The way Collins brings this story into focus with such creativity and imagination is breathtaking. The universe these characters live, breathe and fight in is so convincing that you see yourself in the middle of the action ready to jump into the battle. The most intriguing part of this story is the way it develops: the events unfold from one character’s point of view and then the other’s in the following chapter, giving the reader the full scope of what transpired and how.

What I like the most about this story is the author’s inventiveness. The imaginary technology is detailed and explained so clearly you forget it’s not real. And it saves the skin of these two a few times as well!

I had a lot of fun reading this book and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a fresh approach to the sci fi genre. The trilogy is pitched to a 12+ male audience, though I’m sure the real readership of this story is much, much wider. Be sure to add this story and Book 2: Dyson’s Drop to your “to read” list! I guarantee you won’t put it down.

[intlink id=”6031″ type=”post”]Read Bec’s review of this book[/intlink]

[intlink id=”6023″ type=”post”]Read Bec’s interview with Paul Collins[/intlink]

The Name of the Star- Maureen Johnson

reviewed by Cels Jansink

I originally picked this book up off the shelf simply because it has a cover quote from Cassandra Clare (author of The Mortal Instruments), but after a quick look at the blurb I knew I had to read it. The return of Jack the Ripper! What more could one crime loving girl want?

Rory Deveraux finds herself leaving her small, eccentric Louisiana town and heading off to London to finish High School. An adventure in itself- what with getting her head around all the English slang and trying to conquer hockey before it conquers her. The last thing Rory imagined was finding herself the only witness in the new Ripper case. Not that everyone believes her – not even CCTV has captured his image. It certainly seems the most feared and elusive serial killer in British history is prowling the streets of London again. And Rory is in his sights.  So is it a copycat out for attention, or something far more sinister- or even a mix of both?

This novel is just pure gold. It is so enthralling you will fight with yourself over putting it down. The plot is fresh and fast, the scenes written so vividly you feel like you’re walking the streets of Whitechapel or freezing your butt off on the hockey field. The cast of leads are all realistic and even our heroes are brought down a peg or two with the spotlight shone on their flaws and secrets.

Even if you have never heard of Jack before, the history of the original murders is interwoven with our current storyline, so there is no chance of being lost. The scenes can become a little harrowing and disturbing at times, but considering the subject matter this is to be expected.  It isn’t overly graphic,  but it certainly falls within the more mature end of the YA bracket. The paranormal aspect does go some way to softening the blow and adds a few extra giggles along the way.

This is the first in a new series “Shades of London” and I am certainly eagerly awaiting the next instalment.

The Name of the Star- Maureen Johnson

Harper Collins

372 Pages

ISBN 978-0-00-743226-4

September 29 2011

Author info: http://www.maureenjohnsonbooks.com

[intlink id=”6566″ type=”post”]Read Krista’s review of this book[/intlink]

Welcome to another one of my reviews! Today’s book is an ARC I recieved, The Radleys by Matt Haig; I’m not sure if it was for Burn Bright, or if it was meant for my personnel blog, Turning Pages. So instead of stressing out about, I just decided to review on both, I enjoyed The Radleys and Matt Haig’s writing that much, that I want to share my love with as many people as I can.

We all know it’s October, and we’re all looking for that spook factor, no matter if it’s a haunted house, movie or book. The Radley fits the description perfectly. The cover (well the cover of my version, I’m not sure what any other versions look like) screams creepy and Halloween at you.

To be honest I havent heard of The Radleys or of Matt Haig, before last week, when I ran to my mailbox, opened it, and ripped open (yes, ripped! I know I’m turning 17 on October 29th, but I still get excited about packages and recieving mail) that big yellow envelope inside.

The Radleys gives a different view of the whole “vampire” thing. It gives a more family aspect to the topic, instead of a hot guy, who when he takes his shirt off, glitters in the sun, even some (including me) like that. And sadly, there aren’t any cute werewolf boys in this book either.

One of the twenty million reasons to enjoy reading The Radleys, was getting to know Rowan, seeing how much he changed and grew throughout the story. At first he was the quiet type, who would never want to catch anyone’s attention, and wouldn’t know how to stand up for himself. By the end of the book, Rowan keeps his head high and stands up for himself against a bully. He finds the courage to talk the the girl he fancies, and has embraced the vampire lifestyle. I felt like Rowan did the most growing, even though he wouldn’t be considered the main character.

After having murdered someone, and having your parents tell you, that you’re a vampire, it would be normal to be in a bit of a shock, maybe feel some nausea and pains. But Clara the main character had the total opposite symptons, she felt better, and relieved. While it took her older brother, Rowan, a while to adjust, she took the bull by the horns.

Though Clara and Rowan were total opposites, I really liked reading about both of them.

The Radleys, was the perfect book for Halloween. It wasn’t so scary that you would have to read it in the morning because if you read it at night you would get nightmares. No, but it had the right amount of horror, romance, comedy, and style. The story line, really kept me on the edge of my seat from the very beginning of the story, all the way to the very end.

Matt Haig’s writing style is fabulous, I loved it! And can’t wait to read more from him!

• Pub. Date: December 2010
• Publisher: Free Press
• Format: Hardcover , 371pp
• ISBN-13: 9781439194010
• ISBN: 1439194017