BOOK REVIEW: Keep You Close by Lucie Whitehouse

They said it was a tragic accident. She knows better...
The brilliant young painter Marianne Glass is found dead in her snow-covered garden, Rowan Winter, once her closest friend, knows it wasn't a mistake.
Marianne had vertigo, paralysing vertigo. She never would have gone that close to the edge...

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Pages: 361

I have read an enjoyed all of Lucie Whitehouse's previous books. She is a superb storyteller and so, so good at creating tension and suspense within her books.
Rowan has not spoken to Marianne Glass for more than ten years, when she is informed of her tragic death. It would appear that she committed suicide by jumping from her studio window at the top of her house. Rowan is devastated but also suspicious. Marianne suffered from paralysing vertigo, there is no way she would have gone out on to the roof so what really happened?
Marianne becomes entangled in the Glass family again as she offers to house sit until Marianne's belongings are cleared out. She becomes very aware that she is being watched and she is sure that whoever it is must be connected to her friend's death.
Keep You Close is so well written; the tension is there from the very beginning but Lucie Whitehouse has plenty of tricks up her sleeve to keep the pace going. I was seriously shocked when reading the final few chapters; there were some things I had worked out but there was still plenty of surprises.
I thought that Lucie Whitehouse's characterisation was fantastic. Marianne is dead from the very beginning of the book but we still become very familiar with her. Her whole family are integral to the book as is Marianne's childhood home where she still lived and died. Lucie Whitehouse paints beautifully vivid images through her descriptions and I felt that the characters and the history they shared were entirely believable.
I highly recommend Keep You Close  but also this author's other books too. Her writing style and storytelling put Lucie Whitehouse above many other authors in this genre.

Many thanks to Bloomsbury for sending me a copy of this book to review. 

BOOK REVIEW: Before We Met by Lucie Whitehouse

A whirlwind romance.
A perfect marriage.
Hannah Reilly has seized her chance at happiness. Until the day her husband doesn't come home...
Can you ever really know what happened before you met?

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Pages: 276

This book is very difficult to review without giving the plot away but I will try my best.
Hannah Reilly married Mark and has moved back to the UK from New York after a whirlw
ind romance. She is madly in love and settling into her new role until Mark doesn't come home. He was supposed to be in New York but his assistant thought he had taken Hannah to Rome. Can you really trust someone you've not known long, even if he is your husband?
Before We Met took me a little while to get into but the plot was well thought out and the characters very believable, especially Hannah's husband Mark. I felt that Hannah was very closed off as a character but as I got to the end of the book I felt that it explained her relationship with Mark and how she reacted to him.
The last few chapters were gripping and there were a few surprises thrown in to. Lucie Whitehouse has built up a huge amount of tension , I was almost pleased that the book finished as I felt as though I was holding my breath.
If you're a fan of Lucie Whitehouse's books then I'm sure you will enjoy this one. Before We Met is quite an edgy read and poses a lot of questions about the people we love.

Book Review: Crow Blue by Adriana Lisboa

When her mother dies, thriteen-year-old Vanja is left with no family and no sense of who she is, where she belongs and what she should do. Determined to find her biological father, she decides to leave the volleyballs, empada vendors and crow-blue shells of Copacabana Beach behind, to live in Colorado with her stepfather, a former guerrilla notorious for his violent past. Living quietly with the laconic Fernando, two displaced Brazilians in exile, Vanja makes friends at school, discovers the public library, and gradually pieces together new parts of her mother's story.
Together, she and Fernando embark on a journey to find her biological father, an American from Alburquerquw, taking them across the New Mexico desert from one motel to the next, tracing her mothers footsteps and encountering vestiges of her life and friendships that remain. Lisboa deposits a tapestry of transient lives lived between borders, and  the ties that bind people across nations. Rendered in lyrical and passionate prose, Crow Blue is a sweeping literary road trip through Brazil and America, and through decades of family and political history. 

This book was a very interesting read. It is very much a coming-of-age tale but it is set against a tense and highly charged political backdrop.
Vanja goes to live with her step-father in Colorado when her mother dies. Her step0father had to leave Brazil as he was an Araguala guerrilla with a frightening reputation. She goes to live with him in order to find her biological father, making their relationship highly complex from the very beginning.
I did find it difficult to get into this book in parts but in the main I enjoyed Adriana Lisboa's book. It is a story that has been done over and over again but the author has made it her own with the cultural and political aspects. It was very interesting to see how both Vanja and her step-father are treated as foreigners and the impact this has on their lives.
I did really like Vanja and her story is particularly interesting, I think this book will cross easily between YA and adult audiences.

Dot Scribbles Rating: 3.75/5

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Pages: 240

Many thanks to Bloomsbury for sending me a copy of Crow Blue, it is available now!

Book Review: The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri

From Subhash's earliest memories, at every point his brother was there. In the suburban streets of Calcutta where they wandered before dusk and in the hyacinth-strewn ponds where they played for hours on end, Udayan was always in his older brother's sight.
As the two brothers grow older their lives, once so united, begin to diverge. It is 1967. Charismatic and impulsive, Udayan becomes increasingly drawn to the Communist movement sweeping West Bengal,  the Naxalite cause. As revolution seizes the city's student community and exams are boycotted in a shadow of Paris and Berkeley, their home is dominated by the absense of Udayan, out on the streets at demonstrations. Subhash wins a place on a PhD programme in the United States and moves to Rhode Island, never to live in India again- yet his life will be shaped from afar by his brother's acts of passionate political idealism.
Udayan will give everything for what he believes and in doing so will transform the futures of those dearest to him: his newly married pregnant wife, his brother and their parents. The repercussions of his actions will link their fates irrevocably and tragically together, reverberating across continents and seeping through the generations that follow. 

This is one of the most subtle books that I have read, Jhumpa Lahiri is an excellent storyteller.
Sunhash and Udayan are brothers and this ties the whole book together. The book is about politics in that Udayan becomes heavily involved in the Communist movement but more importantly it is about the characters and their relationships.
At times this book felt breathtakingly intimate, the characters are laid bare and we are granted access to their most personal thoughts and feelings, no matter how heartbreaking or difficult. The consequences of Udayan's choices are felt by every character in this book, his presence is everywhere.
The book has two main settings, West Bengal and Rhode Island. The author describes both in great detail and I loved the comparison between the two very different cultures and the way that Subhash behaves in both.
I think that The Lowland is an incredibly difficult book to review because as I said it is so subtle. It took me a while to get into the rhythm and pace of it but once I did, I was taken aback as to how much the author packed in. Politics, love, religion, culture, parenting, siblings, loyalty, loss and so much more.
I was about halfway through the book when the Man Booker Shortlist was announced and I was so pleased to see this book there. Jhumpa Lahiri has written a fascinating story that I will be thinking of for a long time.

Dot Scribbles Rating: 5/5

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Pages: 352

Many thanks to Madeleine at Bloomsbury for sending me a copy of the book to review, The Lowland is out now.

The Bookshop Strikes Back by Ann Patchett

In case you hadn't realised, it is Independent Book Sellers week, right up until 6th July. I received a lovely little booklet from Bloomsbury last week which contained an essay written by independent bookseller and novelist Ann Patchett:

One morning Ann Patchett woke up to find her city no longer had a bookshop. Surely, she thought, someone would open another. So she waited, daydreaming all the while about the bookshops of her childhood: ones that valued books over muffins; where staff passionately introduced readers to new writing; where buying a book was a social experience. And then she decided to take matters into her own hands and open her own bookshop. A prize-winning novelist turned champion of independent booksellers, Ann Patchett celebrates the joy of local bookshops. 

I really enjoyed Ann Patchett's essay and more importantly it made me realise how little I use independent bookshops even though it is one of my favourite things to do. To be completely honest, I am a huge fan of Amazon, I work from home with a one year old so trips to the shops are not that often. Yet this author brought a lot of lovely memories back for me of wandering around local book stores, reading booksellers reviews, reading the first few pages of several books and coming home with something unexpected that I certainly wouldn't have found on Amazon. My daughter Darcey is only one yet she already loves books and will happily sit and look through her growing collection or bringing them to me to read to her. After reading this essay I know I will make much more effort in using my local bookshops rather than the internet and also taking Darcey along too so she gets to begin building the same memories as I have.

The Bookshop Strikes Back is available in independent bookshops and is only £1.99, it's a very interesting read that will have you thinking of the huge positives of these lovely and important places compared to the convenience of a huge, faceless website.

Many thanks to Eleanor at Bloomsbury for sending this essay for me to read.

Book Review: My Notorious Life by Madam X by Kate Manning

Axie Muldoon, the headstrong daughter of Irish immigrants, forced to beg for pennies as a child  on the brutal streets of New York City, grows up to become the most successful- and controversial- midwife of her time.
'Saved' from poverty by a well-meaning philanthropist, Axie is sent West with her brother Joe and her sister Dutch. But the kindness of strangers is short-loved and soon Axie returns to the city of her birth- separated from those she loves but determined to one day reunite her family.
When she is taken in by a Manhattan doctor, Axie learns the craft that she will live by- and later fight for. As a purveyor of 'lunar tonic for the relief of female complaints' she rises from the gutter to the glitter of 5th Avenue high society, and discovers that the right way is not always the way of the church or the law.
As Axie's reputation grows she finds herself on a collision course with the crusading official who would be the righteous instrument of her downfall. It will take all of her power to outwit him and save both herself and those she loves from ruin. 

I was extremely sad to reach the final page of My Notorious Life as I just did not want the book to end.
Axie Muldoon or the infamous Madam X's story is fascinating from start to finish. Circumstances dictate Axie's life, she finds herself an orphan in New York; her brother and sister lost and no-one to care for her. A Manhattan doctor takes her in and inadvertently she learns the craft of midwifery.  Midwifery was far from an honourable profession at this time; contraception was frowned upon and women entirely at the mercy of men. Although Madam X saves many women's lives and delivers hundreds of healthy babies, it is the work she does to prevent conception or to interfere with pregnancy that sees her branded as a devil in society.
Axie has fought her way to the top of society; she is one of the richest women in New York so when someone tries to take it all away from her, she is more than prepared to put up a fight.
Kate Manning fills her story with exquisite and fascinating detail. She presents the full horrors of midwifery and female suffering, of course she also shows the delights of pregnancy and motherhood too. However, it is the negative aspects that drive Axie on to help even when she knows it brings a huge risk to her and her family. Women who already have many children and no money to feed another; victims of rape; mistresses promised the world and then abandoned when with child. Axie has all sorts knocking at her clinic door, peasants and prostitutes, right through
to the wife of the Mayor of New York. Each woman has a story and these all add up and intersperse to make a truly wonderful book.
I had so much admiration for Axie's character; she fights for everything she has and is always determined to do the right thing. Her husband Charles was also an orphan and their relationship highlights the scars left behind by their experiences. They find it so hard to trust each other as they are so used to being abandoned yet they are fiercely loyal to each other and protective; both driven by a passion to better themselves.
My Notorious Life by Madam X is one of those books that I know I will read again and again. The detail included is brilliant, I felt as though I had learnt so much and Kate Manning's careful research abd attention shines through.

Dot Scribbles Rating: 5/5

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Pages: 448

Many thanks to the lovely Jude at Bloomsbury for sending me a copy of the book, it is available now.

Book Review: Scissors Paper Stone by Elizabeth Day

Charles Redfern is in a coma. As he lies motionless, his wife Anne and daughter Charlotte are forced to come together to confront their relationships with him- and with each other.Anne, once regarded as beautiful and clever, has felt herself disappearing for years, paling besides her husband's harsh brilliance. Anxious to fit in with the expectations of the people around her, she keeps her disillusionment buried inside, mechanically attending the endless round of drinks parties and dinners in her keenly social neighbourhood, and trying to ignore the guilt that trails behind her like a shadow.Charlotte, battling an inner darkness that threatens to overwhelm her, is desperate to prevent her relationship with not-yet-divorced Gabriel from disintegrating through her own self-sabotage.As the full truth of Charles's  hold over them emerges into the light, both women must come to terms with the choices they have made, and the uncertainty of a future without the figure that has dominated them for so long.

I can't believe that this is Elizabeth Day's first novel as it is just brilliant. She explores the damage caused to individuals when they are hurt and betrayed by their own family members. In some ways it is quite a simple idea for a book yet the complex feelings and relationships presented in this story are far from simple.
Scissors Paper Stone jumps back and forth between the past and the present so we get a very detailed picture of how this family unit was created and then destroyed. Some parts make for very uncomfortable reading and I applaud Elizabeth Day for dealing with such a sensitive and taboo subject in an incredibly honest way. She manages to avoid clichés and I was completely absorbed by her story telling.
I can't write too much about the plot as it would spoil it. However, for me, this book was all about the writing. I felt that the author had a very strong writing style and I really hope that she has more books to offer in the future.

Dot Scribbles Rating 5/5

Many thanks to Helen at Bloomsbury for sending me a copy of this book to review, Scissors Paper Stone is out now.

Book Review: Stolen Away by Alyxandra Harvey

It's not every day that a gorgeous guy carrying a sword kneels right at your feet. Especially not in the car park of an ice cream parlour in front of all your friends. They may be impressed, but Eloise Hart is mortified. And that's before he vows to protect her from a faery king! But Eloise soon comes to realise that Lord Strathan, King of Faery, is a very real danger. Abducted and trapped in his underground Rath, she is used as a lure for Strathan's wife, her aunt Antonia- the only person with the power to end his tyrannical rule.
With the help of  best friends Jo an Devin, Eloise must find a way to rescue her aunt and save both Faery and the mortal world from unimaginable chaos. But at what cost?

I know that book reviews should mainly be about the content but I can't not talk about the cover to Stolen Away as I love it. I think that Alyxandra Harvey always has quite eye catching covers but I think this is by far her best.
I have read all of this author's books and enjoyed each one, especially Haunting Violet which was her first venture into historical fiction. Stolen Away is dealing with the world of fairies and I have to admit that they are not my favourite subject matter in paranormal fiction. I can handle vampires and werewolves but I always seem to find fairies a step too far. However, I still enjoyed this book and I think that is largely due to the author. Alyxandra Harvey writes young adult fiction really well and Stolen Away is no different. I think that she is very good at exploring relationships and my favourite element of the book was the dynamic between Eloise, Jo and Devin. Their friendship is consistently tried and tested. As usual, Alyxandra Harvey also offers a little bit of romance, Lucas and Eldric are the love interests in Stolen Away and that was the other part that I enjoyed.
If you have read and enjoyed Alyxandra Harvey's books in the past then don't miss out on this one as the writing is as good as ever. For someone, who unlike me, enjoys the whole fictional fairy world then I imagine they would love this book as it has a little bit of everything. Alyxandra Harvey has shown once again that she is not afraid to tackle new subject areas, it will be exciting to see what she does next.

Dot Scribbles Rating: 3.5/5

Many thanks to Bloomsbury for sending me a copy of this book to review, Stolen Away was published on 5th January 2012.

Book Review: Velvet by Mary Hooper

Velvet is an orphan. She struggles to make ends meet by working in a steam laundry, where the work is back breaking and exhausting. So when she attracts the attention of the glamorous clairvoyant Madame Savoya, she cannot believe her good fortune.
Raised to the status of lady's maid, Velvet is given elegant clothes to wear and is brought to love in a grand house in London. But the longer she works for Madame Savoya, the more she discovers about the mysterious world of a spiritual medium.  Velvet soon realises that her employer is not quite what she seems and this knowledge could put her very life in danger...

I was so happy to receive Mary Hooper's latest book as I really enjoyed her last book Fallen Grace, you can read my review here.
Velvet is set in 1900, Velvet is an orphan, she is working in a steam laundry but she is always only a few steps away from the dreaded workhouse. She begins to look after the laundry of one of the special customers, Madame Savoya, one of the most famous clairvoyants in London. When Madame Savoya offers Velvet a position as a lady's maid, she jumps at the opportunity. She leaves the exhausting steam laundry for Darkling Villa, the home that Madame Savoya shares with her assistant George.
Velvet cannot believe her luck, suddenly she has her own room, beautiful clothes and a job that she actually enjoys. She is fascinated by Madame Savoya's job as a clairvoyant and wants to do everything she can to help her new mistress.
As the book progresses, Madame Savoya has to keep up with what the other famous mediums are doing. She asks more and more of Velvet in order to maintain her reputation and livelihood. Madame Savoya's desperation begins to make Velvet suspicious. Madame Savoya talks about giving the spirits a helping hand but when does this cross over to duplicity? Velvet's suspicions place her in incredible danger as Madame Savoya will not have her work questioned by anyone.
Velvet, like Fallen Grace is mesmerising. I love how Mary Hooper has the ability to immerse her readers into Victorian England. Her descriptions are so vivid and her attention to details shines throughout the book.
I loved reading about Victorian spiritualism, it was such a big part of the Victorian era and so many people from all walks of life were drawn into it, just as Velvet is completely taken with Madame Savoya.
I found Velvet's naivety a little annoying at times but it was understandable in some ways. Madame Savoya is the first person to offer her a real opportunity and some much needed comforts in life. It is not hard to understand why Velvet places her on a pedestal, it just makes it so much harder when she has to question Madame Savoya's motives.
Mary Hooper has once again written a brilliant YA story. Velvet is a very captivating story and it will be interesting to see what Mary Hooper has to offer next.

Dot Scribbles Rating 4/5

Many thanks to Bloomsbury for sending me a copy of this book to review, it is out now!

Book Review: Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey

Violet Willoughby doesn't believe in ghosts... but they believe in her.

Violet has spent years taking part in her mother's fakes seances, putting the rich and powerful in touch with the dead, and their success has brought them a life of luxury they could only have dreamed of and Violet the prospect of a society marriage.

The last thing Violet expected was to start seeing and hearing the dead for real. But now she is haunted day and night but the ghost of a drowned girl who won't let her rest until her murderer is uncovered. 

Violet must use her talents to unravel the mystery surrounding the girl's death- and quickly before the killer strikes again.

I have read and enjoyed Alyxandra Harvey's Drake Chronicles so I was very excited to learn that her new young adult book had gone in the direction of historical fiction. Haunting Violet is set in 1872 and the world of Victorian spiritualism. Violet's mother is a fraud, she pretends she has the gift and holds the seances for the gentry who hold her in esteem as a celebrity of the day. It is these bogus talents that earn Violet and her mother an invitation to Rosefield, which is Lord Jasper's country estate. Mrs Willoughby is to entertain his guests who are staying and Violet is her unwilling accomplice. Rosefield is a new beginning for Violet though as it is here that she discovers that she truly does have the gift of seeing the dead. Violet tries to fight against it as she knows that her mother will think nothing of exploiting her only child.
One of the ghosts that Violet sees is pretty terrifying. Rowena was the daughter of one of Lord Jasper's neighbours he apparently drowned leaving behind her sister Tabitha. It soon becomes clear though that Rowena was murdered and the only way that she will leave Violet alone is if she can reveal the identity of her killer.
Violet wants justice for Rowena but soon finds herself the victim of several 'accidents', Rowena's murderer is clearly prepared to silence Violet if needs be and to have another death on their conscience.
Haunting Violet is hugely atmospheric, I think that Victorian spiritualism is fascinating and the author talks about many of the tricks of the trade. Alyxandra Harvery creates some terrifying scenes when Rowena appears to Violet and you get a real sense of her desperation for justice and the need to protect her sister.
If you like historical fiction or books with a paranormal twist then you would enjoy this one. Haunting Violet is young adult fiction but I think it will easily cross over to adult readers. I really hope that Alyxandra Harvey writes more in this genre as this is my favourite books that she has written so far.

Many thanks to Bloomsbury for sending me a copy of the book to review, Haunting Violet was published yesterday.

Book Review: Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler

Jane Mansfield, a gentleman's daughter in 1813 England, has long wished to escape a life in which career choices are limited to wife or maiden aunt. But awakening one morning in twenty-first-century Los Angeles- in the body of someone called Courtney Stone- is not exactly what she had in mind.

Jane must quickly get to grips with a world in which everyone thinks she is Courtney Stone: a dizzying world of horseless metal carriages, unrestricted clothing, tiny apartments, all manner of flirting and unheard of liberties for womankind. The only thing that Jane appears to have in common with Courtney is a love for the novels of Jane Austen. But are the wise words of her favourite novelist enough to guide her through this bewildering new world? And what is she to make of Courtney's attentive friend Wes, who is as attractive and confusing as the man who broke her heart back home?

As Courtney's romantic entanglements become her own, Jane wonders: would she actually be better off back in Regency England- and will she ever be able to return?

Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict is the parallel book to Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict which I reviewed here. Confessions follows Courtney Stone falling into the life of Jane Mansfield in Regency England and Rude Awakenings is the opposite as we see what happens when Jane Mansfield takes over Courtney Stone's life in the present day. I would urge you to read both books as they are great but you do not need to he read one of them to understand the other if you know what I mean.
As well as adjusting to being somebody completely new, Jane Mansfield also has to deal with all the modern surroundings in her new life. Used to travelling in horse-drawn carriages, Jane is petrified during her first outing in the car. She has no idea what a computer is and marvels at the cupboard in the kitchen that magically keeps the food cool.
Jane's new friends (believing Courtney has concussion) have to fill in the gaps. They explain how she has recently broken off her engagement to Frank as she caught him with her wedding cake designer. They explain how she has a seriously demanding boss with a job she hates but won't leave and also a very annoying mother. The one person who goes out of his way to help Courtney/Jane is Wes; he helps her get her life back on track and more importantly, how to use Google. However, Jane discovers that Wes covered up for Frank's cheating and now she doesn't know what to do. The only man she was beginning to have feelings for appears to be the last person she should trust.
Laurie Viera Rigler has written another highly entertaining book, I think it is a great idea to tell the story from Jane's perspective. This book makes you think twice about all of the home comforts and equality for women that we take for granted by seeing it through the eyes of a woman who previously wouldn't have imagined these things.
This book will appeal to many readers, especially those Jane Austen addicts out there, it's a really lovely read.

Many thanks to Bloomsbury for sending me a copy to review, Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict is out now.

Book Review:Low Red Moon by Ivy Devlin

The only thing that Avery Hood can recall about the night her parents dies is that she saw silver- deadly silver, moving inhumanly fast. As much as she wants to remember who killed her parents, she can't and there's nothing left to do but try to piece her life back together.
Then Avery meets the new boy at school. Ben is mysterious and beautiful, and Avery feels a connection with him like nothing she's ever experienced. Ben is also a werewolf, but Avery trusts him- at first. Then she sees that sometimes his eyes flash an inhuman silver. And she learns that she's not the only one who can't remember the night her parents died...

This book had me hooked from the very first sentence:

I was covered in blood when the police found me.

Avery Hood was there when her parents were mutilated and murdered but she cannot remember what happened; she does not know who carried out the terrible act.
Avery tries to get on with her life; she is living with her grandmother as her house is still a crime scene. When she returns to school she copes with the stares and whispers but it is the arrival of Ben, the new boy that changes everything. Avery is instantly attracted to him and Ben feels the same way. She discovers that the local legends are true and that werewolves live in the forest where her house was. She knows this because Ben is a werewolf. Avery is very accepting of this but she cannot fail to forget the flash of silver that she saw on the night of her parent's murder, the same silver that she glimpses in Ben's eyes. He does not remember the night either, could he unknowingly be the one who has torn her whole world apart?
Ivy Devlin has written a beautiful love story which will be enjoyed by many a young adult reader. Low Red Moon is also a very convincing murder mystery with these paranormal elements thrown in to the mix.
As I said, the author grabbed me with the first line and simply didn't let go. I felt as though I was aware of something lurking in the woods just waiting to pounce on Avery as it had her parents. The book has a great twist at the end which I had not seen coming at all.

Many thanks to Bloomsbury for sending me a copy of Low Red Moon to review, it was published on February 7th. 

Book Review: Crusade by Linda Press Wulf

When a dazzlingly handsome boy riding a white charger arrives in Georgette's village, she is spellbound- both by the boy and crowd that surrounds him. They are all children. The boy is even more entrancing when he speaks. He seeks volunteers to join his Crusade- a perilous mission from which some may not return.
Georgette has never left her village before, but she knows she will follow the boy. And so begins a journey filled with terrible danger, sacrifice and true love, a journey which will take all of Georgette's courage to survive.

To be honest I am not completely sure what to say about this book. I know nothing about the children's Crusade so I was intrigued to find out more but there seemed to be quite a few slow parts in the book with lots of sleeping in fields.
However, I loved the questions that this book raised and I think that it would provide many talking points with young adult readers. Why did these children join the Crusade, was it their faith that got them through the journey and what is it that made the leader so captivating? It is very clever to have both a male and female main character that readers can identify with.
As I say, this book didn't grab me but I do think that the writing and the questions raised are excellent for getting young adult readers thinking about and discussing issues that are just as relevant today.

Many thanks to Bloomsbury for sending me a copy to review, Crusade was published on January 4th.

Book Review: A Beautiful Lie by Irfan Master

Everybody lies. We all do it. On 14th August 1947, I learnt that everybody lies but that not all lies are equal...
Many years ago I told one lie that has taken on a life of its own. The only time I was sure of anything was all those years ago, when I was a boy. When I was lying. But now the truth needs to be told...

A Beautiful Lie is Irfan Master's debut novel; it is set in 1947 during the partition of India. Bilal is a young boy whose father is dying; he knows that he does not have long left. Bilal knows that if his father found out about the Partition then he would be heartbroken. So he has to do everything that he can to prevent the news from reaching his father's ears. Saleem and Chota are Bilal's best friends and they do everything that they can to help.
Although Bilal's main focus is to protect his father from the truth; he and his friends cannot help but get caught up in the violence and politics taking place in their country.
Irfan Master is dealing with an extremely serious subject and one that still has great relevancy today. It is written at a level that young adult readers would understand without being patronising. Bilal's love for his father shines out throughout the book. He tells a lie to protect his father but at the same time he must face up to the reality of what is happening in India and how different his country and his place in that country will be once his father has died.
A Beautiful Lie is an excellent debut novel and I think that Irfan Master will be an author to look out for in 2011.

Many thanks to Bloomsbury for sending me a copy to review, A Beautiful Lie is published today. 

Harry Potter Fever!!

I am a HUGE fan of the Harry Potter books and films! Bloomsbury launched the new signature editions on November 1st, they are stunning, I already have the books but I may just have to get my hands on a set of these. To celebrate, Bloomsbury have a brand spanking new Harry Potter website for you to explore:

http://www.bloomsbury.com/harrypotter

Plus they have a new facebook fan page which you can join:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Harry-Potter-UK-Book-page/166482176703640

So you can go along and have a little look at those and wait in excitement for the new film which is out this month!!!

Book Review: Out for Blood by Alyxandra Harvey

Hunter Wild, vampire hunter and star pupil at a top secret slayer academy has a crush on a guy called Quinn. He's tall, dark and very handsome. He's also a vampire, and one of the infamous Drake brothers at that.

As if forbidden love wasn't bad enough, something strange is also happening at the Helios-Ra academy. Vampire attacks are increasing, students are mysteriously falling ill and the teachers seem completely clueless. It's up to Hunter and her friends to put things right... that is, if she can get a certain immortal out of her head long enough to think about anything else. 

This is the third in the Drake Chronicles series by Alyxandra Harvey. I wasn't that big a fan on the second one but Out for Blood has reaffirmed my belief that this is a great series for young adults.
I loved the character of Hunter Wild, she is extremely feisty and has such a lot of responsibility and expectations placed upon  her. When things start to go wrong at the prestigious slayer academy that she attends, she knows that she has to step-up and find those responsible for hurting her friends. Whilst doing this she has to enlist the help of Quinn Drake, he is a member of the head vampire family and Hunter has been trained to stake vampires on first contact. However, staking is the last thing on Hunter's mind when she is around the delectable Quinn. Alyxandra Harvey builds up the tension  between these two characters so well. It reminded me of Bella and Edward in Twilight, they both know it's wrong but they just can't help themselves.
Out for Blood has a great pace to it, there was so much to find out that you can't help turning the pages. The next book isn't out until November 2011, I know that I will not be the only one grabbing a copy to find out what happens next.

You can read the first chapter of Out for Blood by clicking here.

Many thanks to Bloomsbury for sending me a review copy, it was published yesterday so look out for it in the shops!

Book Review: Dracula's Guest, A Connoisseur's Collection of Victorian Vampire Stories Edited by Michael Sims

Before Twilight and True Blood, vampires haunted the nineteenth century, when brilliant writers indulged their blood thirst imaginations, culminating in Bram Stoker's legendary 1897 novel, Dracula.

Acclaimed author and anthologist Michael Sims brings together the finest vampire stories of the Victorian era in a unique collection that highlights their cultural variety. Beginning with the supposedly true accounts that captivated Byron and Shelley, the stories range from Aleksei Tolstoy's tale of a vampire family to Fitz James O'Brien's invisible monster to Mary Elizabeth Braddon's rich and sinister widow, Good Lady Ducayne. Sims also includes a nineteenth century travel tour of Transylvannian superstitions, and finishes the collection with Stoker's own Dracula's Guest- a chapter omitted from his landmark novel. 

This book is a fantastic treat for anybody interested in this genre. Michael Sims has put together a brilliant collection of stories and I loved being able to read more about the author's and the origins behind them.
I think that vampires are always going to be popular within the world of fiction, the Twilight phenomenon has brought them to the fore again but they are a creation that allows so many different themes and ideas to be explored in one story. Bram Stoker's Dracula is one of my favourite books so it came as no surprise that Dracula's Guest was my favourite story within this book. There is something about Bram Stoker's writing that entices you in even though you know you are probably going to come across something that is pretty scary.
Bloomsbury have produced a stunning book to look at, I completely fell in love with it. This would make a brilliant present and I know that it will be sitting on my book shelf for many years.

Dracula's Guest was published on 30th October, many thanks to Bloomsbury for sending me a copy for review.

Book Review: Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

Two girls, united in a quest to save a young prince, but separated by over two hundred years. Andi lives in present-day New York and is dealing with the aftermath of her brother's accidental death. Alexandrine lives in Paris and is desperately trying to save a young boy from the ravages of the French Revolution.
Their paths collide as Andi unlocks a route into the past which might just hold the key to reconciling herself with her own history- and her future.
A romantic, utterly engrossing story of two girls, two boys and the heart-wrenching thread that binds them together across the centuries.
Bestselling, award-winning author Jennifer Donnelly has written an incredibly evocative portrait of lives torn apart by grief and mended by love.

I only recently read Jennifer Donnelly's first book, A Gathering Light so I knew she was good. However, Revolution is not just good, it is brilliant, as with her first book I think it will easily cross over into an adult audience.
The book revolves entirely around the two main female characters who are completely believable, I felt as though I knew them so well by the end of the book. Andi is from present day New York, she is extremely intelligent and musically gifted. Her life and that of her family have been torn apart by the death of her younger brother, Truman. Andi blames herself, she feels her father blames her and Andi's mother is barely holding on to life and reality. When Andi's father gets a call from her prestigious high school about Andi's slipping grades, he steps in and places his ex-wife in a psychiatric hospital and takes Andi to Paris with him so she can concentrate on her thesis which she needs to complete in order to graduate.
It is Andi's trip to Paris that introduces us to the second main character. Andi is staying with friends of her fathers and comes across an old guitar case; she discovers that she can open a secret compartment in the case with a key that once belonged to her brother. The case is from the time of the French Revolution  and it contains Alexandrine's diary. She was not trying to save just any boy but the son of Louis XVI who she was the companion of. The young boy is orphaned after his parents are killed and locked in a tower with very little care shown to him. Alexandrine describes in her diary the horrors of the revolution and her struggles to free the boy who she dearly loved.
Louis-Charles was the same age as Truman when they both died, this is something that Andi cannot ignore. She becomes engrossed in Alexandrine's story just as the reader does; she is looking for answers, not only about Louis-Charles's fate but also her own as she struggles to continue on without Truman.
Jennifer Donnelly's writing completely blew me away. She describes the horrors of the French Revolution in great detail so you feel as though you are standing by watching it all happen. I have to be honest in that the French Revolution has never been something that I have been particulary interested in, but having read Revolution I know that I will look into this period of history to find out more.
As the synopsis states, these two young girls are connected by love and grief, emotions that have the same effects no matter what century they are experienced in. Both Andi and Alexandrine are carrying around the burden of guilt which has huge consequences for both of them. Obviously Alexandrine's fate cannot be changed but I kept turning the pages in the hope that Andi will find some kind of resolution.
Revolution is right at the top of the list of my favoutite books this year. The plot and characters are absorbing and the attention to historical detail is amazing. Jennifer Donnelly has written a book that children and adults will greatly enjoy.

Many thanks to Bloomsbury for sending me a copy to review, Revolution is published today.

Book Review: A Gathering Light by Jennifer Donnelly

Based on a real murder at the turn of the century, this outstanding debut novel is a powerful and moving coming-of-age book. Mattie is torn between her familial responsibilities, her desire to be a writer, and the excitement of a first romance. Her dilemmas and choices are reflected in the life of a young woman that Mattie only gets to know through reading her letters.

When finally the tales of Mattie and the drowned girl merge, their stories beautifully combine in a brilliant and perfect conclusion.

A Gathering Light by Jennifer Donnelly is in the children's section of the Bloomsbury catalogue but it is one of those great books that will appeal to readers of many ages as the author has created a story that many will identify with.

Mattie made a promise to her dying mother that she will look after the rest of the family so she is torn when she has the opportunity to go to college in New York to persue her dream of being a writer. I loved the way that the author uses Mattie to explore the ways in which a writer thinks. Mattie views the world and the people around her in a very particular way. When Grace Brown's body is discovered, Mattie has to know more; she understands that Grace must have a story that should be told.
Jennifer Donnelly does not shy away from the poverty and daily grind that Mattie and her family face. You begin to understand just how difficult Mattie's decision is. On the one hand she must feel that she has the opportunity to escape and realise her dreams but on the other hand she has to face the tremendous guilt were she to leave her family in those circumstances.
Some reviewers have said that this book is a little slow; I can understand what they are saying but in many ways it is important for the book to be like this. It is the slow-paced, mundane life that Mattie wants to leave behind. She has to decide whether this is just the life that she has been dealt; should she just get married and help run the farm or should she go out there and see what else life has to offer?
The death of Grace Brown is an event that really did take place. Jennifer Donnelly weaves it into her story and Mattie learns more and more about Grace from the letters that she left behind. Grace brown's fate brings Mattie's choice into sharp focus; I thought that the author tied these two characters together brilliantly.
A Gathering Light is a fantastic book that I would highly recommend. There are so many different aspects to the story that you cannot help but become engrossed in it, even when I reached the last page, I wanted to know more about Mattie's life.

Many thanks to Bloomsbury for sending me a copy of this book, Jennifer Donnelly has a new book called Revolution out in October so look out for that one!

Book Review: The Poisoned House by Michael Ford + GIVEAWAY!!

Abi is servant at Greave Hall, a stately London home. She runs away, but is soon recaptured, to suffer once more under the tyrannical rule of Mrs Cotton, the housekeeper. The house though, has a darker secret. Something ghostly inhabits the corridors leading Abi to the very truth someone has tried so hard to bury. The more she discovers, the more her life is in danger, as she begins to unravel the mystery within the poisoned house.

I saw this book in the Bloomsbury catalogue a while ago and I was really looking forward to receiving a copy to review. The blurb sounded very mysterious and I like the spooky cover too.
The whole story revolves around Abi and her life at Greave Hall; we know from the very first page that she is desperate to leave as we watch her attempt at a midnight escape. Her failed escape introduces the reader to the extremely sinister Mrs Cotton; she is the housekeeper but also the sister-in-law of the widowed Lord Greave. She is very much a Mrs Danvers character, always watching and listening to everything while hatching some malicious plan.
It is the spooky events in Greave Hall that lead Abi to question those around her. Michael Ford builds the tension gradually and you have to add to it that Abi is completely isolated during these terrifying events, she has no-one to turn to.
The last few chapters are particularly fast paced as Abi comes to clearly understand that her life is in danger. There are many twists and turns and you do not know until the very end whether Abi will survive the poisoned house or not.
I would highly recommend this highly atmospheric book to both young adult and adult readers, it is a spine tingling page turner. Many thanks to Bloomsbury for sending me a copy of this book.

Luckily for readers of Dot Scribbles I received two copies of The Poisoned House so I am offering one of them as a giveaway. To enter simply leave a comment containing your email address, this is open worldwide and entries will be accepted until midnight on Friday, August 27th, good luck!