Book of the Month - July 2012: The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

Here is your chosen book of the month for July:

Meghan Chase has a secret destiny; one she could never have imagined.

Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school or at home.

When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.

But she could never have guessed the truth - that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face; and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.

Posted by Amy

Book of the Month - June 2012: Fallen by Lauren Kate

As chosen by you:


There’s something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.

Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price’s attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He’s the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.

Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce–and goes out of his way to make that very clear–she can’t let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her.


Posted by Alice

Book of the Month May: Matched by Ally Condie

Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate... until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.


Posted by Alice

Book of the Month - April 2012: Fire by Kristin Cashore

Here is our latest book of the month:

She is the last of her kind...

It is not a peaceful time in the Dells. In King City, the young King Nash is clinging to the throne, while rebel lords in the north and south build armies to unseat him. War is coming. And the mountains and forest are filled with spies and thieves. This is where Fire lives, a girl whose beauty is impossibly irresistible and who can control the minds of everyone around her.

Exquisitely romantic, this companion to the highly praised Graceling has an entirely new cast of characters, save for one person who plays a pivotal role in both books. You don’t need to have read Graceling to love Fire. But if you haven’t, you’ll be dying to read it next.

SO THERE YOU GO, POLLS ARE NOW UP FOR OUR MAY BotM (AND A FIRE RELATED POLL), SO GET VOTING!

Posted by Alice

Book of the Month - March: Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

Here is our new book of the month:

Synopsis: For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her...until Patch comes along.

With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment, but after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is far more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.

For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life.

Have an idea for a different book of the month? Our Polls for Aprils book of the month are now open (as well as a hush, hush poll), so be sure to vote! Also comment any ideas for books to put in our polls on our "Favorite Books" page.

Book of the Month - February 2012

The winner is...

SYNOPSIS: Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky. 

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low. 

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war. 

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages—not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out. 

When one of the strangers—beautiful, haunted Akiva—fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

Well, there you have it, but the polls are now up for our March BoTM, so get voting!

December Poll Results

Here are the December Poll Results...

As you can see since there is a tie for the book of the month City of Bones shall remain the book of the month until the 15 of January. Until then we shall put up another poll with just Poison Study and Daughter of Smoke and Bone. The winner out of these two shall be appointed BOTM (he he) until the end of January as per usual.

I wish to say sorry for taking so long with this update. It is so easy to just get caught up in the hospital festivities as I am sure you all know.

Book of the Month- December 2011: City of Bones (TMI 1#) by Cassandra Clare

This months book is City of Bones, the first book in well known authors Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments Series.

Genre: Urban Fantasy, Action, Drama, Romance

Released: 27th March 2007

PLOT: When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder -- much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing -- not even a smear of blood -- to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know. . . .

Exotic and gritty, exhilarating and utterly gripping, Cassandra Clare's ferociously entertaining fantasy takes readers on a wild ride that they will never want to end.

Polls are now open for our January book of the month, so get voting! And don't forget to comment on your view of this book!

Book of the Month- November 2011: The Hunger Games by Sazanne Collins

This months book of the month is The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.

Genre: Distopia/Action/Adventure

Released: September 14th 2008

PLOT:
In a not-too-distant future, the United States of America has collapsed, weakened by drought, fire, famine, and war, to be replaced by Panem, a country divided into the Capitol and 12 districts. Each year, two young representatives from each district are selected by lottery to participate in The Hunger Games. Part entertainment, part brutal intimidation of the subjugated districts, the televised games are broadcasted throughout Panem as the 24 participants are forced to eliminate their competitors, literally, with all citizens required to watch. When 16-year-old Katniss's young sister, Prim, is selected as the mining district's female representative, Katniss volunteers to take her place. She and her male counterpart, Peeta, the son of the town baker who seems to have all the fighting skills of a lump of bread dough, will be pitted against bigger, stronger representatives who have trained for this their whole lives. Collins's characters are completely realistic and sympathetic as they form alliances and friendships in the face of overwhelming odds; the plot is tense, dramatic, and engrossing.


Polls are now open for our December book of the month, so get voting! And don't forget to comment on your view of this book!

Rapunzels Opinion:

Spoiler Alerts are written in purple and when the spoiler is over i have put a note in blue.

So I want to start this review by saying that I adored this book but not the series. The premise of the Hunger Games is one made up of brilliance and i adored Katniss. But the whole series? Not so much. The reason for this is both Gale and Peeta.

(*Spoiler Alert*)

I ship KatnissXGale and the fact that she ends up with Peeta just bothers me. And for so long time and so much I can not stress it enough.  I would not have even minded Finnik that much just not Peeta. I mean his special talent is 'camoflage' (Scary). Anyway lets not get bogged down in that

(*Spoiler over*)

But once I put all of that aside -very hard- I was able to fully appreciate how wonderful the rest of the characters where and how much I had enjoyed the actual story line. 

Katniss really was a wonderful character to have the story told from. As you would know from my previous review I like my characters strong and Katniss fit that bill while being very original. One of my favourite scenes in the book where this is really demonstrated is after the TV interview and they are 'discussing' (more like yelling) about Peeta declaring his love for Katniss. Sure she is unhappy at first but after  that she manages to put her pettiness aside and look at the big picture. She never annoyed me by getting dragged down by her problems but just gave them thought and then put them aside until a later time.

(*Spoiler Alert*)

And when rue died, I was so upset (for me a real trophy to the story and how much I liked these character) and this was despite that fact that someone -names shall not be named- told me she died.

(*Spoiler over*)

When I was reading the book the whole time she was actually inside the games I spent it on the edge of my seat. I put this down to Suzanne Collins engrossing writing and the story line. I would practically anyone who likes a good book with action, a badass heroine, amazing story line and a smidge of romance.

Book of the Month - October 2011: Divergent by Veronica Roth

This months chosen Book of the Month is Divergent, by Veronica Roth!

Genre: Dystopian/Adventure/Romance

Released: May 3rd 2011

PLOT: Beatrice "Tris" Prior has reached the fateful age of sixteen, the stage at which teenagers in Veronica Roth's dystopian Chicago must select which of five factions to join for life. Each faction represents a virtue: Candor, Abnegation, Dauntless, Amity, and Erudite. To the surprise of herself and her selfless Abnegation family, she chooses Dauntless, the path of courage. Her choice exposes her to the demanding, violent initiation rites of this group, but it also threatens to expose a personal secret that could place in mortal danger. Veronica Roth's young adult Divergent trilogy launches with a captivating adventure about love and loyalty playing out under most extreme circumstances.


Polls are now open for our November book of the month, so get voting! And don't forget to comment on your view of this book!

Rapunzels Opinion: 

I can not even begin to tell you how much i like this book but i can start with saying that i goes right up there in my favourite 5 books of all time, heck it probably sits in the top 3. And this means alot seeing how many great books i have read. 

This book has everything and i do mean EVERYTHING. Romance, Angst, coming of age, Adventure, action. You name it this book OWNS it. Now I am very picky about my main characters. An Author can write a totally amazing book and that means nothing if the lead character bugs me. But Tris did not, at every turn she was brave and confident. She never chickened out or made silly decisions. That being said she did make mistakes but all of them where understandable and played perfectly into the book. The main guy was perfectly swoon worthy. Take Jace's wit (from TMI), Fangs dark demenour (from Maximum Ride), a wounded hero and a sprinkle of perfect and there you have Four. 


I tell no lies. 

The whole story is based around this wonderful idea that when you turn 16 you have to chose a group to join for the rest of your life. I loved this premise (as I do for anything similar in other books). The twisted and brilliant idea that you can choose i virtue that sums you up and makes you whole more than anything else. I kinda wish that our life was like this and the moment i heard the list of faction i knew exactly where i would want to go. 


Dauntless. 


Now, i just read Alice's blurb and i pretty much agree with everything she said (even i was surprised). I understand her thing on Four but for my i just love him so much i am willing to look past it. Yeah thats probably the very definition of blind love. I also totally get that thing about Tris i just interpreted it as 'Inner Turmoil'.

So people of the reading community please either go and pick up this book to read or if you have already read it give yourself some time to bask in the awesomeness and think about this...WHICH FACTION ARE YOU???

Alice's Opinion:

I'm really glad that this book is our Book of the Month! I'm a huge fan of Dystopian books at the moment, and this is right up with the Hunger Games. 

One thing in particular that I loved was the clever names used by the author. Amity, Dauntless, Erudite, Candor and Abnegation are all super cool words that perfectly suit the factions (Abnegation even sounds like a humble word!).

However, as much as it killed me with it's awesomeness, looking back there were a few parts that don't quite work for me. I'm going to be the Devil's Advocate, Here are the issues.

Rapunzel is going to come and strangle me but it must be said! Four is a bit cliche and Tris is somewhat shallow. I mean, come on, she loves a guy who she hardly knows and who treats her terribly in public because apparently it's for her own good. 
But wait! He just so happens to have a tragic past & a wounded heart (surprise, surprise) so he's tough but then sweet and sensitive around Tris. Then there is Tris who seems to be bi-polar, beating people up one second and getting all emotional the next. I still love them both very much though.
Ok, now thats out of my system I can get back to bowing down to this book and offering it my humble devoted service.
The thing wit this book is that even if I hated all the characters, I would still love the book. Why? Because Veronica Roth can WRITE. She creates tension, believable fights and comes up with some fabulous scenes!
So despite some character flaws and a few other un-loved parts (including the somewhat fuzzy definition for a Divergent, and the fact that Four acts more divergent than Tris, but then isn't), I still thoroughly recommend this book and am super duper excited for the upcoming sequel - Insurgent. I hope that we get to see some more of Peter in this book and (I know it's sick and twisted), maybe he might have something for Tris? Maybe.
If you visit this link (LINK) you can see that the author shares my love-hate-you're-cool-but-seriously-have-mental-issues-wahh feelings for Peter (which she sums up perfectly with the line "WHAT is wrong with this kid?")
I completely understand Rapunzel's total blind love, and share her love of the world of Divergent.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to re-read this masterpiece.