REVIEW: Looking For JJ - Anne Cassidy

GENRE: YA/Crime
PAGES: 304
PUBLISHER: Scholastic
FORMAT: Paperback
BUY IT: Waterstones
RATING: 5 Stars

SUMMARY

A gripping and emotionally searing novel from a talented author, Looking for JJ explores the circumstances and motives behind the murder of a child - by her friend. Six years later, JJ has now been released, and has a new identity. But is there any way that she can lead a "normal" life?

REVIEW

This is a perfect mix of my two favourite genres - YA and Crime!

I've been meaning to read this for *ages* and stumbled across a hardback copy in the charity shop, woo, it was fate. I enjoyed it from the start - I liked the plot, I loved the narrative and everything was described so well I could see it playing out like a film. I felt so sorry for Alice, her mother was selfish and neglectful, and as much as she is trying to put things behind her, something is always dragging her back to the past and that is precisely what she wants to leave behind. It's a clever novel because it deals with a very serious and sensitive storyline with tact and sensitivity and ultimately I was rooting for Alice to prevail. I now need to read the sequel! 

- Gem.

REVIEW: Twisted - Laurie Halse Anderson

GENRE: Contemporary/Issues
PAGES: 240
PUBLISHER: Scholastic
FORMAT: Paperback
BUY IT: Waterstones
RATING: 4 Stars

SUMMARY

Seventeen-year-old Tyler is totally enjoying his position as high school Alpha male after years of being "the geek". But then Bethany - rich, blonde, beautiful and the girl Tyler wants - is the victim in a teenage sex scandal, and somehow Tyler is the prime suspect. Tyler had nothing to do with it, but when everyone - including his hard-nosed father - believes he did, Tyler starts to spiral into a nightmarish, paranoid state of mind. He is desperate to find a way out of the mess he's in ...Will he have the courage not to take the easy option?

REVIEW

A quick read, this tale of one boys struggle against gossip and scandal is fascinating. Tyler is snarky, funny and interesting, and it was great to see how he dealt with the situation he found himself in...he is accused of a crime he didn't commit and his family is a total nightmare. I honestly didn't know how it was going to end, and once I'd read it I found myself flicking back through to reread passages I liked. Perfect for an indulgent afternoon of reading!

- Gem.

REVIEW: Code Red Lipstick - Sarah Sky

GENRE: Contemporary/Humour

PAGES: 336
PUBLISHER: Scholastic
FORMAT: Paperback
BUY IT: Waterstones
RATING: 5 Stars

SUMMARY

Jessica Cole is just your average teenager, except when she's strutting down the glamorous catwalks of Paris. When her father, a former spy, vanishes mysteriously, Jessica takes matters into her own hands. She's not just good at striking a pose, she's going to take on MI6 and beat them at their own game. Following her father's trail, Jessica's investigation lands her hot on the heels of a deranged former supermodel, Allegra Knight, who plans to unleash mayhem on an unsuspecting teenage population with the launch of her new miracle face cream, Teenosity.

REVIEW

A fun and fresh take on contemporary fiction - it blends everything I love about books; engaging characters, an exciting plot and the ability for me to picture what is happening. 

Jessica Cole is great - a modern day Nancy Drew (kind of like a grown up Ruby Redfort by Lauren Child) combined with an even more sarky version of Harriet Manners in Holly Smale's Geek Girl. Even though I'm comparing the characters, they are different enough for it to be a totally different reading experience - Jessica is involved in both the modelling world and that of spying, full of high tech gadgets and dark and deadly secrets. I found myself completely captivated by Jessica's world, I read the book so quickly because I wanted to know how she was going to save the situation... 

I can't wait to read the next instalment :)

- Gem

Raging Star Book Launch with Moira Young - Waterstones Bath

RAGING STAR 

The eagerly-awaited finale to the Costa award-winning Dustlands trilogy 

by MOIRA YOUNG 

In the final instalment of this electrifying trilogy, Saba is plagued by unanswered questions. Her encounter with DeMalo leaves her drawn to the man she knows should be her enemy but she has no choice but to continue to lead the fight against him. Saba knows the price of violence - she has already lost so much in the quest for freedom - now she must decide if it’s worth the fight. 

THE STORY SO FAR...

In Blood Red Road, the first novel in this epic post-apocalyptic trilogy, Saba’s twin brother is stolen by mysterious, black-robed riders. She sets out on a desperate journey to find him but this is a lawless land, where life is cheap and survival is hard. Ahead lie violence and treachery, and Saba needs a spirit as tough as her crossbow to survive. Her companions are the cleverest bird that ever flew, and a handsome thief with eyes the colour of moonlight. 

In the sequel, Rebel Heart, there is a price on Saba’s head. Her victory to save her brother has come at a cost and a new enemy pursues her across the dustlands. Saba is separated from her companion, Jack, at a time when she needs him more than ever. She needs his moonlight eyes, his reckless courage, and his wild heart. But can Saba really trust Jack? 

Blood Red Road – the debut novel by Moira Young - won the 2011 Costa Children’s Book Award. 

The Costa judges called it: ‘An astonishing debut novel which had us all hooked from the beginning to the unpredictable end.’

Film rights for Blood Red Road have been optioned by acclaimed director Ridley Scott. 

BOOK LAUNCH

We were lucky enough to have been sent picture from Moira Young's book launch for the final book in the Dustlands series, Rising Star. It was a private event held at the Waterstones in Bath, and looks like a was a brilliant turn out!

Click to read more:

*GIVEAWAY* - Raging Star by Moira Young

This giveaway has ended.

We're giving away one copy of RAGING STAR, the final book in the Dust Land trilogy by Moira Young! If you've loved the series we're guessing you're really going to want to get involved with this.

A little bit about our giveaways:

We're offering this as a 'Read and Review' giveaway, and whilst we won't pester you to write us a review or give you any deadlines, we do expect you to at least give us some feedback once you've read it. The more we give back to publishers, the more cool things like this we'll be able to give away!

We haven't posted the blurb in case it gives spoilers of the first two, but you can read the synopsis for it here.

Please Note: You will need to be able to collect the book from our store, which is Waterstones Birmingham High St.

The competition is running from Saturday 26th April to Saturday, 10th May.

ENTER HERE

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Massive thanks to Scholastic for the book. Keep checking back to the blog for more giveaways!

REVIEW: Northern Lights - Philip Pullman

GENRE: Alternate/Fantasy/YA
PAGES: 448
PUBLISHER: Scholastic
FORMAT: Paperback
BUY IT: Waterstones
RATING: 5 Stars

SUMMARY

"Without this child, we shall all die." Lyra Belacqua and her animal daemon live half-wild and carefree among scholars of Jordan College, Oxford. The destiny that awaits her will take her to the frozen lands of the Arctic, where witch-clans reign and ice-bears fight. Her extraordinary journey will have immeasurable consequences far beyond her own world...

REVIEW

This is one of my all time favourite trilogies and I try and re-read the books once a year. I love everything about them, from the incredible world building and the ideas behind the parallel worlds, to the amazing cast of characters; some that I love, and some that I love to hate! Lyra is the ultimate heroine; she is just a normal girl, but at the same time it's her normalcy that makes her so special as she is trust into situations and worlds that are truly incredible. She fights for survival, she fights for justice and she fights for what she believes in and she won't let anything or anyone stand in her way. 

As the trilogy progresses the worlds and the story become darker and the danger becomes ever more present, but as this happens, the level of interest in the story intensifies beyond belief. I feel sad that some people base their perceptions of this trilogy on the golden compass film because it did not do justice to how incredible this story is. 

This is the kind of trilogy that you really just need to read for yourself because once you have read it all the way through you will be so astonished by how complex and amazing it is that you will want all your friends to read it and you will want to read it over and over again! 

A fantastic and spellbinding series that deserves to be read for many years to come.

- Gem.