IT'S HERE! (soon)

AHHH!! The amazing Lesley Livingston has another book coming out for us....

THE SEQUEL TO ONCE EVERY NEVER!
I am super, duper stoked for this book because the first in the series was AMAZING.

For those of you who haven't heard about Once Every Never:

Clarinet Reid is a pretty typical teenager. On the surface. She's smart, but a bit of a slacker; outgoing, but just a little insecure; not exactly a mischief-maker... but trouble tends to find her wherever she goes. Also? She unwittingly carried a centuries-old Druid Blood Curse running through her veins.

Now, with a single throughtless act, what started off as the Summer Vacation in Dullsville suddenly spirals into a deadly race to find a stolen artifact, avert an explosive catastrophe, save a Celtic warrior princess, right a dreadful wrong that happened centuries before Clare was even born, and if there's still time - literally - maybe even get a date.

This is the kind of adventure that happens to a girl once every... never.

ANNNNDDD.... Here's what the sequel, Every Never After, is about:

Despite their vow to each other at the end of Once Every Never, best friends Clare and Allie once more find themselves in trouble—and traveling in time. Indulging in a low-key vacation at Glastonbury Tor, taking part in an archaeological dig while soaking up the sights of summertime England, the girls have promised each other: no time travel shenanigans; no involvement with dangerous Druids or villainous museum thieves; and definitely no weirdness about the fact that Clare is now seriously dating Milo, Allie's super-genius hottie cousin!

But when Allie makes an unexpected discovery at the dig site—a skull—the grisly artifact sends her spiraling back in time to a Roman encampment besieged by rampaging Celts. Caught between the Legions and the war band, Allie is rescued from certain death by Marcus, a young Roman soldier with a secret. As she struggles to survive in the past, Clare and Milo race desperately against time in the present to bring Allie home...before she loses her head OR her heart.


GOGOGO CHECK LESLEY LIVINGSTON'S WORKS OUT HERE!
You won't regret it ;)


- sm:)e 

Hunter x Hunter 2011

Because I am a dork and anime fan, I must post these pictures up. Hunter X Hunter, originally written by Yoshihiro Togashi, was adapted into an anime in 1998/1999. Recently, however, Madhouse has been working on a remake of the anime, one that follows Togashi's original manga. In late 2011, the new anime was released. Since its debut, there have not been many fans or fanart out there on the internet. And, since my friend has a lot of time on her hands....

Blood Red Road - Moira Young

I love this book. Seriously.

Suspense, action and a little bit of romance are all packed into this 459 page young adult novel by Canadian-born UK author MoiraYoung. Blood Red Road is quite often compared to its extremely successful predecessor, The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins, partly because of its post-apocalyptic setting and tough, butt-kicking female protagonist. However, there are many factors that make Blood Red Road its own success, and it has nothing to do with children killing each other in an arena on live television.

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Blood Red Road is a novel written by Canadian-born UK author Moira Young, published June 2nd 2011 by Margaret K. McElderry Books.

Though the saying “don’t judge a book by its cover” rings true, many readers do it anyway. Physically, cover art itself is eye-catching. The protagonist, Saba, has lived her entire life with her twin brother and family at Silverlake, a dry, sandstorm-ravaged desert. This is reflected in the cover image of a solitary figure walking across a barren wasteland. What it also captures is the loneliness and isolation Saba has lived her whole life in before everything is thrown into chaos. The synopsis is interesting and to-the-point; it actually has relevance to the content of the book, which helps attract potential readers to pick it up:

“… But when a monster sandstorm arrives bearing four cloaked horsemen, Saba’s world is shattered. Lugh is captured, and Saba embarks on a quest to get him back. Suddenly thrown into the lawless, ugly reality of the world outside, Saba is lost without Lugh to guide her. So perhaps the most surprising thing of all is what Saba learns about herself…”

Saba has always lived in the shadow of her brother’s light; he is the perfect, golden twin while she is the sullen troublemaker. So, Saba’s self-discoveries and growth is one of the main themes that make this book so relatable and appropriate to young adult readers. Teens constantly face the same issues of self-acceptance and growth, so strong connections and bonds are formed between Saba’s character and themselves.

Another – more obvious – reason as to why this book attracts young readers is the presence of young romance. Saba teams up with a handsome daredevil named Jack, who knows just how to make her feel foolish and angry, yet the attraction between them is undeniable. And, as we have all learned from The Twilight saga, forbidden romance often guarantees hardcore fans.

Saba’s action-packed and gripping mission will keep readers hooked and flipping the pages until it’s over. While the plot itself is not an entirely new concept, what distinguishes Blood Red Road from other books is its writing style. Grammar and spelling errors flood the book, and non-words such as “cain’t”, “afeared”, and “fergive” dominate the page. No quotation marks are used anywhere in the novel. However, this primitive narration demonstrates the barbaric qualities of the human condition that is always under the surface of our civilized mannerisms. It parallels to the current condition of the Earth, and how society is slowly degrading with political wars and climate change. It gives the entire story more depth, as well as a different perspective and tone. And, even without quotation marks, Young’s lyrical writing allows for readers to follow the dialogue without trouble.

Overall, a fantastic book to read if you want a change from the whole Hunger Games and Twilight mob scene; Blood Red Road is a refreshing story about a new heroine who learns much from her experiences, mistakes and the people she befriends. There are funny, depressing, and sometimes infuriating parts that keep readers in its grasp until the very last, very powerful page. Do I recommend this book? Well, you’re reading this, aren’t you?

The sequel, Rebel Heart, comes out in October 2012, and you can bet that I will be pre-ordering my copy.

A reminder that I'm running a contest on this blog over here. If you want to win your own copy of Ellen Hopkins' books CRANK and GLASS, head on over!


- sm:)e