Lips Touch Three Times by Laini Taylor

Synopsis

Three tales of supernatural love, each pivoting on a kiss that is no mere kiss, but an action with profound consequences for the kissers' souls:

Goblin Fruit: In Victorian times, goblin men had only to offer young girls sumptuous fruits to tempt them to sell their souls. But what does it take to tempt today's savvy girls?

Spicy Little Curses: A demon and the ambassador to Hell tussle over the soul of a beautiful English girl in India. Matters become complicated when she falls in love and decides to test her curse.

Hatchling: Six days before Esme's fourteenth birthday, her left eye turns from brown to blue. She little suspects what the change heralds, but her small safe life begins to unravel at once. What does the beautiful, fanged man want with her, and how is her fate connected to a mysterious race of demons?

Having spent this year catching up on Laini's back catalogue ready for the release of Daughter of Smoke and Bone I put this on one side for short story month but often looked at the amazing illustrations by Jim Di Bartolo that run throughout. The hardback edition is a gorgeous book to look at and it's been staring at me from the shelf for quite some time. I settled down to read Goblin Fruit, a story about Kizzy and all those other girls who are sixteen and filled with longing. This isn't a story about the pretty girls or the popular girls - it's about the ones that skirt in the shadows and stare at the floor. Kizzy lives with an extended family out on the edge of town on a farm with scores of stray cats. Her family keep to their traditions and take them seriously so much so that when Kizzy's grandmother dies she kills a swan so that one wing can be placed in the coffin so her soul can fly.

Kizzy's coasting at school, disinterested in her studies. What she wants, yearns for, is to be desired in the same way that the popular girls are. So when a beautiful boy turns up at school one day her grandmother's stories fly from her mind. She told Kizzy about her sister, how she'd eaten goblin fruit and nearly wasted away until she managed to save her. As the story progresses the signs that Kizzy is in danger become more and more obvious. By the last couple of pages I was almost screaming at her. I won't tell you any more so as not to spoil it but Goblin Fruit is beautiful. Laini's words wrap you up and I fell straight into the dark and dangerous world she'd created.

I laughed at the perfect dialogue between Kizzy and her two friends, Evie and Cactus which was snarky and wonderful. I especially loved the grandmother and her beloved knife. Kizzy coveted this knife with its mother-of-pearl handle so much so that she hoped that it would be left to her. These hopes were dashed as the grandmother's last words were, "Don't you dare steal it out of my coffin." The most heartbreaking aspect of Goblin Fruit is that Kizzy is special, far more so than the girls who she watches. She's smart, fearless and funny. I can't tell you what she decides to do but if you get a chance please read this wonderful book.

Fever Crumb by Philip Reeve

Synopsis


FEVER CRUMB is set many generations before the events of Mortal Engines, in whose dazzling world huge, predatory cities chase and devour each other. Now, London is a riot-torn, ruinous town, clinging to a devastated landscape and hiding an explosive secret. Is Fever, adopted daughter of Dr Crumb, the strange key that will unlock its dangerous mysteries?

So far I've only read the first in the Mortal Engines series but was drawn to this as, although in the same fantasy world, has a whole new set of characters. Fever, found in a basket as a baby, has lived her whole life in the head of a statue. This head houses the engineers of which her adoptive father is one so naturally Fever followed in his teachings. She has shunned hair (irrelevant) and emotions (ridiculous) and is content in a world of logic. However, an eccentric and minor archaeologist called Kit Solent asks the engineers for Fever to help him in his work. Fever's emergence into London society sets off a chain of events which develop at an alarming speed.

Initially I must admit that Fever reminded me a little of Spock with her belief in all things rational but as soon as she meets Kit and his two children her struggle with the logic and emotions becomes endearing. She begins to remember things that she can't possibly know: rooms she's never seen and people she's never met. Unbeknownst to Fever and Kit, she has been noticed and Londoners believe her to be Scriven; a race that controlled London and were eventually overthrown. Any Scriven that appear in London are to be hunted and killed by the Skinners or rather the last remaining Skinner, Bagman Creech. Due to his age he now requires a boy to help him which is where the loyal and endearing Charley Shallow comes in. He shadows Bagman and takes his position of Skinner's apprentice very seriously.

It becomes apparent that Kit has a hidden agenda that Fever struggles to comprehend. The answers that she seeks take her all over London and beyond and all the while Bagman and Charley keep her in their sights. There are so many wonderful things about Fever Crumb that I haven't the space to mention them all. The place names are pure genius: Ox-fart Circus, Chel's See and Pimlicker to name a few. Other parts of our life have survived into the era of Fever Crumb in a slightly twisted way such as the religious procession made up of people wearing, "Robes and pointed hats ... chanting the name of some old-world prophet, 'Hari, Hari! Hari Potter!' "

Although the story is full of fast-paced action it also has a thread of touching humanity running through it. I really felt Fever's confusion as she struggles with her identity. Kit, a wonderful father, is shown grieving for his dead wife. Dr. Crumb's story is also explored and it was a joy to see him change as the book progresses. Shrike makes his first appearance too and his story (before being turned into a Stalker) is both enlightening and desperately sad.

I'm always wittering on about covers but I must mention the limited edition hard cover which is gorgeous for those who like the illustrations of the Mortal Engines reprints.

This is the perfect introduction to the amazing world that Philip Reeve has created. Don't worry if you've never read any of his work before as Fever Crumb is a wonderful, action packed and touching story that can serve as a way in or as a new addition to those who have already read the Mortal Engines series.

The Hunger Games and Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins

Twenty-four are forced to enter. Only the winner survives. In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. Each year, the districts are forced by the Capitol to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the Hunger Games, a brutal and terrifying fight to the death - televised for all of Panem to see. Survival is second nature for sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who struggles to feed her mother and younger sister by secretly hunting and gathering beyond the fences of District 12.

When Katniss steps in to take the place of her sister in the Hunger Games, she knows it may be her death sentence. If she is to survive, she must weigh survival against humanity and life against love.WINNING WILL MAKE YOU FAMOUS. LOSING MEANS CERTAIN DEATH.

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When I picked up The Hunger Games, it was with a mild case of trepidation- generally speaking, getting into the head of a 16 year old girl isn’t something I do for fun.

Katniss Everdeen, the heroine of the novel, lives in a land divided into 12 subjugated districts, kept firmly in check by the iron rule of President Snow, leader of the Capitol, victors of a ruinous civil war some seventy four years previously.

The story opens as Katniss’ district prepares for the shrill, compulsory fanfare of The Reaping, the annual lottery when the Tributes are chosen for the year’s Hunger Games: 24 Tributes, a boy and girl from each of the Districts, locked into a custom built arena to fight to the death until only one remains. . a stark and typically brutal reminder of the dominion of the Capitol.

This year, Katniss is going to the Arena, and things are never going to be the same again.

Because Katniss isn’t going to go out without a fight, not with her little sister, mother and the boy she’s now realising her true feelings for, watching. As she and the taciturn Peeta, her co-tribute, travel to the capital city, she begins to realise the scope and scale of the world beyond District 12, and the vast gulf between her world and that of the Capitol. And as she does, her determination to fight, to win and to stay alive hardens.

But she’s not alone in that; the tributes from the other 11 districts are looking to win as well, and the producers need to put on a good show; it’s a recipe for death- and a damn fine story.

I was pleasantly surprised how crisp and punchy the books were; you’re swiftly drawn into Katniss’ world, and with that, the lives of Katniss and Peeta. They’re both clearly drawn characters with their own goals and personalities and Katniss, rendered cynical at a young age by the grim reality of life in District 12, is given an endearing naiveté in respect of seeing past the obvious actions of those around her, a trait that deftly underlines her character and made her far more interesting.

The growth of their relationship is handled with equal care; it grows subtly, and becomes the foundation for much, if not everything, that comes after. It’s never allowed to smother the pace of the story or distract from the ever present threat of the Capitol and the deadly environment they find themselves in.

The story continues in Catching Fire, the second instalment of the trilogy, and reaffirms that the Capitol, still headed by the unrelentingly sinister President Snow, isn’t going to take Katniss’ victory lying down (and that’s not a spoiler- it’s written in the first person). Having returned home to the still gritty District 12 with the trappings of a victor of the Games, Katniss should never have wanted for anything again. But the reality of their vulnerability taints everything, denying her the chance to explore her feelings towards Gale, the boy she had to leave behind.

It’s not long before the repercussions of her actions are felt and the long arm of Capitol reaches out to smash apart any semblance of the future she’d hope to build. The same irresistible pace pervades Catching Fire, a turbo-charged rush that won’t let you lay the book aside without a fight.

They’re a fantastic, fun read – all I need to do now is force myself to wait for part 3!

See the promo video here.

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Synopsis

For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf–her wolf–is a chilling presence she can’t seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human . . . until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It’s her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human–or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

Grace got attacked as a small child by a pack of wolves and almost died as result. One wolf came to her rescue, saving her from being torn to shreds. As she grew older, she grew to have an affinity with the wolves roaming the forest outside her home in the small town of Mercy Falls but one particular wolf, her wolf, the one with the yellow eyes, is the one she keeps an eye out for most.

When a local boy is attacked and killed by the wolves, hunters enter the forest to kill as many of these as they can. Grace is terrified and does her best to stop them, thinking only of her wolf. She fails however and as she gets back to her house, she discovers a wounded boy on her porch, bleeding profusely. He has enigmatic yellow eyes and without thinking about things twice, Grace sets about helping him. She cleans him up and takes him to hospital where they think he, the boy, Sam, tried to commit suicide by shooting himself. They indicate the cut marks on his arms and Grace is stunned by this thought.

They run from the hospital and as Grace and Sam grow closer over a period of weeks, living for a part of that time together in her room, without her flighty parents being aware of it, Grace learns Sam's story. And he tells it without vitriol, without anger. It is soon evident that Sam is not the macho alpha-male a lot of urban fantasy novelists come to rely on, even the ones aimed at the teen audience. He is a different type of hero - the soft-spoken, artistic one who can do silly lyrics in his head, the one who has his nose in books reading about everything. Sam makes an interesting foil in his creativity and expressions to Grace's almost stoic nature in which she just forges ahead, doing her thing, taking care of the household her flaky parents couldn't care about, taking herself off to school, studying, getting good grades. It is also interesting to see how Sam sees Grace - he calls her his Summer girl but to be honest, I think she suits winter a lot me, because of her nature and her ways.

The novel is written from both Sam and Grace's perspectives, in alternating chapters, each chapter indicating the temperature in Mercy Falls at the time. As the weather grows colder, so too does the risk of Sam changing back into a creature that only lives in myths.

The author has worked up a fantastical myth around the werewolves and it works very well in this instance, given the location and the time of year the novel is set in. Because she almost exclusively focusses on Sam and Grace you start feeling a bit claustrophobic and it is reflected in the bad weather which is encroaching, bit by bit, on them as they huddle in their warm cocoon of first love.

There are elements that disturb - the nature of their relationship is very intense and it's not healthy, by any stretch of the imagination, but it works because everything the author has created in this novel, spotlights Sam and Grace's relationship. By islolating these two characters from the rest of the world in such a way, she creates something that is on the cusp of being a wonderful dream and nightmare at the same time.

The secondary characters in the book weave in and out of the story, their own storylines not developed to its full capacity as they are genuinely only there to reflect Sam and Grace's concerns and to give small interludes of reality into this dream world they have created for themselves. I know this may annoy some readers but honestly, it does not detract from Ms. Stiefvater's writing.

And I'd like to mention here that there are parts of this novel that made me think of A Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney - no, not storyline or whatever, but the sheer beauty of her writing. It verges on being a literary novel in some places with a paranormal slant and I'd recommend you read Shiver - if not for the story - then definitely for the quality of writing. Am I allowed to say that?!


It is inevitable that Shiver will get itself likened to Twilight. No doubt about it. Yes, there are similarities, but for me, Shiver is more akin to Holly Black's three novels, Tithe, Ironside and Valiant. It also reminds me strongly of Need by Carrie Jones. All these novels are worth their weight in gold and has forged a new market for teens and adults who like YA. I'm happy to count Shiver amongst these titles as something different enough to be given a chance.

I can write more about Shiver - a lot more - but then the author has done that herself and to be honest, if you are a fan of this genre, and you are a teen, you are going to enjoy it. It mixes favourite genres and keeps it fresh: a little bit of paranormal romance, a little bit of magic...oh, and wolves.

I've been snooping and have found a few extra bits to Shiver. This is the book trailer Ms. Stiefvater made for Shiver herself and the one below that is the official book trailer from the States.

Find Maggie Stiefvater's website here. Shiver is published by Scholastic UK on 5th October 09.

Joshua Files - Ice Shock by MG Harris

Synopsis

Josh thought the worst was over - but it hasn't even started...

Josh is even more certain now that his father's death was no accident - and he's starting to wonder if he can really trust his closest allies. When he learns of a secret buried within the Ix Codex, he must journey back to the secret Mexican city of Ek Naab. Shocking news awaits him about the mysterious Bracelet of Itzamna. Did Josh's dad really take it? And where is it now? Josh has no idea what's waiting for him...

If I was a raving bunny after reading and reviewing the first Joshua Files - Invisible City - well, colour me bright yellow (to match the sleeve for Ice Shock) and now call me Raving Rabbit.

Whereas I thoroughly enjoyed Invisible City and had a mini-crush on Joshua, MG Harris' new offering, Ice Shock, has stepped up the character development, storyline, plot exploration and the all out adventure to Ridley Scott levels.

Joshua thinks that things have quietened down after his adventures in Ek Naab - he almost has his life back to normal. His mother is a ghost of her former self - the conversations they have are stilted and unhappy, trailing off with either one of them leaving the room. She is still struggling to come to grips with the death of his father. Joshua still isn't convinced that things are as explained as they could be. He wants closure, actual answers and he's happy to push the boundaries to make sure he gets them.

He has also not stayed as close to Tyler and Ollie as he wanted to - they still regard him with a bit of suspicion as he left them behind whilst he went off to search for answers on his own in the jungle.

Now, here I confess utterly that I suspected both Tyler and Ollie from the start as being double agents. I suspected one more than the other but boy, was I taken aback in Ice Shock when the real traitor stood up! And boy was it a carefully planned and plotted - in that respect, I loved the reveal scene because the protagonist was pretty scary but once you met his follower (the traitor!) and you realised the level of that person's delusion, you can't help but empathise with Josh even more.

The story mostly takes place in and around Mexico with brief stop-overs in Oxford. I love the richness of the culture which MG Harris is so deft at adding to the storyline without deviating from the action and the characters. Joshua grows tremendously in this novel as a person - he has to face that one of the people whom he held as a confidant has betrayed him to the enemy, he finds out that if he isn't careful, the group of lunatics keen to destroy Ek Naab, are looking for him specifically as you know, it will be a good way to get hold of a test subject in order to try out some fun procedures to test his resistance to certain illnesses and see if he has any further gifts...not pleasant, at all.

But, being Joshua, he only knows one gear: and that is forward.

With the help of Ixchel (whom Joshua is supposed to be marry one day...or not!) Joshua has to face up to who he is, his own destiny and that maybe, just maybe, what he has been told about Ek Naab, may not be all of the truth. It raises questions of trust, belief in yourself and the levels of belief in your friends and family and how far you are prepared to go to find what you seek.

I can say a lot more about the novel, the set pieces which are very good and the final action sequence which is just completely inspired. But I won't because you know, I trust you guys to take my word when I say: excellent read and worthy of a best buy tick.

Ice Shock is a multi-layered plot and it is very well written. For those who are after action and adventure and puzzles to solve, this is an excellent novel. For those who want to dig deeper into a developing character and follow him through twists and turns, this is for you too. Whilst travelling in an exotic locale, no less!

I didn't think that there could be more twists and turns, but MG Harris said on Thursday evening at the Scholastic Author Event, that we have to bear in mind that this is the second of a five book series. A lot more will be happening! We have to realise that the bad guy we have seen in Book 1 and Book 2, is an underling, the real baddy hasn't even shown up yet to confront our hero!

The mind boggles! And the heart waits impatiently. Find MG Harris' site here and the official Joshua Files website here.

The Rock 'n Roll Life of Mark and Liz at MFB

Thursday evening saw me attend a very interesting evening at Scholastic's offices - an author evening with MG Harris, Sharon Dogar, Josh Lacey and Rachel Ward. It was incredibly interesting listening to the authors chat to Damian Kelleher about their books, how they came to be published and how their stories developed from first draft to finished product.

I tried my best not to, but I completely geeked when I came face to face with MG Harris - what a truly gracious and amusing speaker she is! - and I tried to haphazzardly explain that I got to review her very first Joshua files book when it was first published. She signed my books and I went squeeing back to Steven who works for Scholastic. *titter* oh, the joys of being able to be a complete fan-girl!

Then, Saturday we took ourselves off to Forbidden Planet for the big THARG signing. I got to meet Dan Abnett for the first time, after pestering him loads of times on Facebook. And this time, it was Mark's turn to go complete fan-boy. He was in his element, chatting to James Swallow, Dan Abnett, Simon Davis, Rufus Dayglo (not to be called Roof), Al Ewing, Brett Ewins, Henry Flint, Frazer Irving (not Frazier!), Tony Lee, Simon Spurrier and the legend that is Matt Smith. I am pretty sure I may have left out someone...and that is not my intention, I swear!

And between Mark and I, we've decided that I am not allowed control of the digital camera anymore. I shake so much - everyone looks like they are moving super fast, but I have managed to salvage two relatively good pictures.

Mark (in his Sin City t-shirt) getting some of his items signed by Al Ewing with Tony Lee on the left of the picture, drawing some artwork for a fan.

James Swallow and Dab Abnett posing for the camera.

This coming Thursday Mike Carey and Kate Griffin will be signing copies of their books at Forbidden Planet. I am over the moon! What is new, right? I am sure regulars on the blog are under the impression I live my life in a state of high excitement and to be honest, they won't be wrong! I will definitely try to get some pics of that event up before we leave for our holiday on Malta this Friday. Most of the week will be spent agonising about what books to take with to read - one thick one or several smaller ones? It is a very hard life!