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Stocktake Saturday 48

Posted by speculatef on May 18, 2013 in Stocktake Saturday

Welcome to Stocktake Saturday! This feature is where I share some bookish news with you and then show you all the bookish goodies I got over the week.


The cover reveals from the last week  - (links to Goodreads pages)

  • Stormbringers (The Order of Darkness #2) by Philippa Gregory – UK edition
  • Never Fade (The Darkest Minds #2) by Alexandra Bracken
  • Allegiant (Divergent #3) by Veronica Roth – UK cover
  • Burn Bright (Dark Star #2) by Bethany Frenette. Expected publication: October 1st 2013 by Disney-Hyperion
  • Unchained (Nephilim Rising #1) by J. Lynn (Jennifer L. Armentrout). Expected publication: September 17th 2013 by Entangled: Edge
  • Allies (Insignia #1.5) by S.J. Kincaid. Published May 2013 by Katherine Tegen Books
  • Would Be Witch (Southern Witch #1) by Kimberly Frost. Expected publication: September 3rd 2013 by Berkley
  • Hereafter (Shadowlands #2) by Kate Brian. Expected publication: October 1st 2013 by Disney-Hyperion
  • Kinslayer (The Lotus War #2) by Jay Kristoff – UK cover. Expected publication: September 12th 2013 by Tor UK
  • Kinslayer (The Lotus War #2) by Jay Kristoff – US cover. Expected publication: September 17th 2013 by Thomas Dunne Books
  • All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill. Expected publication: August 1st 2013 by Bloomsbury
  • The Weight of Souls by Bryony Pearce. Expected publication: August 6th 2013 by Strange Chemistry

In Bookish News, Dawn Barker, the author of the newly released Fractured, has signed a contract with Hachette Australia for her second novel. She says the book will be a new story, but will explore similar themes to Fractured.

I’ve come across two cool new titles for books I’m waiting for:

  • Secret (Elemental #4) by Brigid Kemmerer – Brigid’s actually finished this book, and it’s told from Nick’s point of view and I’m so excited for it!
  • Dreams of Gods and Monsters (Daughter of Smoke and Bone #3) by Laini Taylor – placeholder cover on the right.

Laini Taylor held a competition for fan-made book trailers for Daughter of Smoke and Bone, and you can watch the winning entry here.

As you can see above, Never Fade (The Darkest Minds #2) by Alexandra Bracken has an awesome cover. That’s for the US edition, no news on an Australian cover yet. Never Fade won’t be available until October 15th, but Bracken is publishing a bridging e-book (God I am so sick of this trend!). In Time will be available on July 16th. In the mean time, you can read an exclusive excerpt from Never Fade on the EW website.

Finally, Strange Chemistry, the Angry Robot YA imprint, has had an exciting month:

  • They signed M. G. Buehrlen in a two-book deal. The first of these two books – The Fifty-Seven Lives of Alex Wayfare – will be published in March 2014, with a second to follow early in 2015. About The Fifty-Seven Lives of Alex Wayfare:

For as long as 17-year-old Alex Wayfare can remember, she has had visions of the past. Visions that make her feel like she’s really on a ship bound for America, living in Jamestown during the Starving Time, or riding the original Ferris wheel at the World’s Fair.

But these brushes with history pull her from her daily life without warning, sometimes leaving her with strange lasting effects and wounds she can’t explain. Trying to excuse away the aftereffects has booked her more time in the principal’s office than in any of her classes and a permanent place at the bottom of the social hierarchy. Alex is desperate to find out what her visions mean and get rid of them.

It isn’t until she meets Porter, a stranger who knows more than should be possible about her, that she learns the truth: Her visions aren’t really visions. Alex is a Descender – capable of traveling back in time by accessing Limbo, the space between Life and Afterlife. Alex is one soul with fifty-six past lives, fifty-six histories.

Fifty-six lifetimes to explore: the prospect is irresistible to Alex, especially when the same mysterious boy with soulful blue eyes keeps showing up in each of them. But the more she descends, the more it becomes apparent that someone doesn’t want Alex to travel again. Ever.

And will stop at nothing to make this life her last.

  • They signed Danielle Jensen in a three book deal. The first of the three books is called Stolen Songbird and will be published in early 2014. About Stolen Songbird:

For those who have loved Seraphina and Graceling comes another truly fabulous fantasy …

Trolls are said to love gold. They are said to live underground and hate humans. They are said to be evil. When Cécile de Troyes is kidnapped and sold to the trolls, she finds out that there is truth in the rumours, but there is also so much more to trolls than she could have imagined.

Cécile has only one thing on her mind after she is brought to Trollus, the city she hadn’t even known existed under Forsaken Mountain: escape. But the trolls are inhumanly strong. And fast. She will have to bide her time, wait for the perfect opportunity.

But something strange happens while she’s waiting – she begins to fall in love with the handsome, thoughtful troll prince that she has been bonded and married to. She begins to make friends. And she begins to see that she may be the only hope for the half-bloods – part troll/part human creatures who are slaves to the full-blooded trolls. There is a rebellion brewing. And her prince, Tristan, the future king, is its secret leader.

As Cécile becomes involved in the intricate political games of Trollus, she becomes more than a farmer’s daughter from Goshawk’s Hollow. She becomes a princess, the hope of a people, and a witch.

This week I have been Waiting On … The Tower Broken by Mazarkis Williams.

I also had the Between the Lives blog tour stop by, and Jessica Shirvington shared the songs that inspired the book with us.

My book haul this week is very exciting – a package from Pan Macmillan Australia was filled with goodies (links to Goodreads):

And e-galleys from NetGalley and Edelweiss:

  • A Clockwork Heart (The Chronicles of Light and Shadow #2) by Liesel Schwarz – NetGalley: Random House Publishing Group (Del Ray)
  • Steelheart (Reckoners #1) by Brandon Sanderson – NetGalley: Random House Children’s – *squeal*
  • The Registry by Shannon Stoker – Edelweiss: William Morrow Books – this is a New Adult Dystopian, I’m very excited to read it!

Last time I was 7 books behind in my Read Three, Buy One scheme. I reviewed the following books this week:

  1. The Mystery of the Golden Card by Garth Nix & Sean Williams
  2. Shift by Hugh Howey
  3. Breathless by Brigid Kemmerer

Which leaves me 4 books behind. I’m slowly getting there :D

I hope you have some goodies to share as well, leave your links below and I’ll be sure to visit :-)

Happy Reading!

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Waiting on Wednesday 37

Posted by speculatef on May 15, 2013 in Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that allows readers to showcase eagerly awaited upcoming releases.

This week I’ve picked The Tower Broken by Mazarkis Williams

  • Expected publication: 7th November 2013 by Jo Fletcher Books
  • Format: Paperback
  • Series: Tower and Knife, Book 3
  • Goodreads / The Book Depository

Nooria is at breaking point. The nothing bleeds out the very essence of all, of stone, silk – and souls. Sarmin thought he had stopped it, but it is spreading towards Cerana – and he is powerless to halt the destruction.

Even as Cerana fills with refugees, the Yrkmen armies arrive, offering to spare Sarmin’s people if they will convert to the Mogyrk faith.

Time is running out for Sarmin and Mesema: the Mage’s Tower is cracked; the last mage, sent to find a mysterious pattern-worker in the desert, has vanished; and Sarmin believes his kidnapped brother Daveed still has a part to play.

The walls are crumbling around them …

Okay, we have to talk about that cover. AMAZING right? I think it will look absolutely gorgeous next to my copies of The Emperor’s Knife and Knife Sworn. I love this series, I love the characters and the world and I cannot wait for The Tower Broken. I have high hopes that it will conclude this breathtaking trilogy well. I think what makes this series work is how the author has taken epic fantasy back to its roots, and then completely turned the tropes on their heads. And the impressive covers.

The Tower and Knife series by Mazarkis Williams

My review of The Emperor’s Knife by Mazarkis Williams

My review of Knife Sworn by Mazarkis Williams

I’d love to see what you are waiting on … please leave links and I’ll be sure to check them out!

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Breathless by Brigid Kemmerer

Posted by speculatef on May 15, 2013 in Other Paranormal

  • Date published: 30th April 2013
  • Publisher: Kensington Teen
  • Format: Ebook, 65 pages
  • Series: Elementals, Book 2.5
  • ISBN 13: 9780758285539 ISBN 10: 0758285531
  • Categories: YA – Paranormal
  • Goodreads / Amazon / Bookworld
  • Source: provided by the publisher for review

Too many secrets. Not enough time.

Nick Merrick is supposed to be the level-headed one. The peacemaker. Since it’s just him and his three hotheaded brothers against the world, that’s a survival tactic.

But now he’s got problems even his brothers can’t help him survive.

His so-called girlfriend, Quinn, is going quick as mercury from daring to crazy. Meanwhile, Quinn’s dancer friend Adam is throwing Nick off balance, forcing him to recognize a truth he’d rather shove back into the dark.

He can feel it—-the atmosphere is sizzling. Danger is on the way. But whatever happens next, Nick is starting to find out that sometimes nothing you do can keep the peace.

Nicholas Merrick has always intrigued me. He’s always been solid and dependable in the previous books: the cool-headed one who diffuses the tension between his three brothers. So it was a surprise for me to get inside his head and find it so tumultuous.

Constantly being the responsible one has taken its toll on Nick – he’s under tremendous pressure to act a certain way and be someone he’s realising he just … isn’t. He’s been hanging out with Quinn a lot, he thinks dating her is a Good Thing, but Nick is increasingly aware of the lies he’s built his life on.

The foundations start crumbling when Nick meets Alex, a friend of Quinn’s who shares her passion for dancing.

Nick’s insecurity, his confusion and reluctance to make waves are endearing, and I love him for it. The surprise for me in this book is Quinn, who isn’t as shallow and inane as I’d initially pegged her to be. It’s enlightening to see from her point of view: her pain, caused by a horrible family life; her fear of losing Becca to Chris and her jealousy of their relationship; the feelings of inadequacy brought on by the way people treat her. There’s a lot going on here, and I loved the opportunity to see a bit of Quinn’s life.

I also really liked Alex, and I hope he’s in future books (in Siege, Nick’s book?). Although we didn’t get to know him as well as I would have liked, he seems like a great guy and I want to know more about him. He’s so comfortable with himself, and I think he’ll be a great source of support for Nick.

I haven’t read any of the other Elemental novellas – I was sceptical that Brigid could bring the same magic to a novella that she can to a 300+ page novel. But the novella delivers – it’s an emotional, realistic glimpse into Nick’s life that has me desperate for more of his story.  Now I’m looking forward to not only reading Spirit, the third full length book in the series, and Siege when it’s out next year, but also the other two novellas, Elemental and Fearless.

While not required reading for fans of the Elemental series, Breathless answers a few lingering questions and (I suspect) sets up the next two books of the series quite well. Definitely recommended for readers who can’t get enough of the Merrick brothers.

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Shift by Hugh Howey

Posted by speculatef on May 14, 2013 in Fantasy Reviews

  • Date published: 25th April 2012
  • Publisher: Random House (Century)
  • Format: Paperback, 569 pages
  • Series: Wool, Books 6 – 8 (Omnibus)
  • ISBN 13: 9781780891217 ISBN 10: 1780891210
  • Categories: Fantasy – Post Apocalyptic Dystopian
  • Goodreads / Booktopia / Bookworld
  • Source: provided for review by the publisher

In a future less than fifty years away, the world is still as we know it.

Time continues to tick by. The truth is that it is ticking away.

A powerful few know what lies ahead. They are preparing for it. They are trying to protect us.

They are setting us on a path from which we can never return.

Shift is the story of a newly elected Congressman, Donald Keene, who unwittingly becomes embroiled in a mad plan to save the world. It tells us how the silos described in WOOL came to be, the history of World Order Operation Fifty, and the place of Silo 1 in the scheme of things. This omnibus contains the three Shift books – the first tells of the construction of the silos, the second describes the gradual collapse of some of the silos and the madness that grips the people living inside them, and the third chronicles the events in WOOL, and the collapse of Silo 18, from the point of view of Silo 1.

“At almost the same moment in humanity’s broad history, mankind had discovered the means for bringing about its utter downfall. And the ability to forget it ever happened.”

The first book, First Shift – Legacy is my favourite. It alternates between the viewpoints of Congressmen Donald Keene in 2049, and Troy, a man who is woken from cryogenic sleep inside a silo in 2110. As Donny overseas the design of a nuclear waste disposal site and housing for its workers in case of emergency, he discovers that he has been lied to. The true purpose of this project has been kept from him. In the future, Troy struggles to remember the truths doctors have made him forget, slowly piecing together the past and uncovering the awful truth behind the silos.

It’s gripping and exciting, because readers know the realities that are hidden from the two men, and I think it’s thrilling to witness them work towards it. I particularly like Donald, I think he makes a great protagonist and I empathized with him – he’s idealistic and wants to help his fellow man, but ends up aiding in the heinous plan. The path to Hell is indeed paved with good intentions.

In the second book, Second Shift – Order, follows Mission Jones, who works as a porter in Silo 18. His grandfather died in the uprising of ’78, and he and his friends are part of another revolution. Some of the characters from First Shift are woken up again, to deal with the unrest that threatens the silo’s survival. I liked Mission and admired his bravery and willingness to help others. I knew how this story ends, but I was still saddened and outraged when it happened. Again, it’s enlightening to witness the uprising from within the silo, and from outside, through the eyes of those who oversee the whole project and are looking at the bigger picture.

The third book, Third Shift – Pact, is the most interesting since it throws light onto the collapse of Silo 17 and continues the story of Silo 1, eventually showing us the events of WOOL from inside Silo 1. I think it’s a clever way to round off the SHIFT saga, almost bringing the story around full circle and revealing another layer to the conspiracy.

I love that the prequel books have overlapped WOOL, and they have set up the next saga, DUST, superbly. I really liked the SHIFT books and think they are a perfect complement to the original WOOL series. I recommend this saga to fans of WOOL because of the new perspectives it offers and the way it clears up a lot of the mystery in the first series.

In other news, I know now why the previous omnibus is called WOOL – it stands for World Order Operation Fifty (L is the Roman numeral for 50). Clever!

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Blog Tour: Between the Lives – Playlist

Posted by speculatef on May 13, 2013 in Uncategorized


Hi guys! The Between the Lives blog tour stops by today and I am excited that author Jessica Shirvington is sharing the book’s playlist with us! She’s provided a list of songs and their video clips, as well as some commentary on what they mean to her, and how they relate to Sabine.

- Guest Post -

The Between the Lives Playlist

Jess: I have to admit a lot of the songs I listened to remind me of Sabine/Ethan scenes. And some are just about her.

1. Valium by Lisa Mitchell
This is my favourite song for the book!

2. I’m in Here by Sia

3. Love and Loss by The Honey Trees

4. Distance by Christina Perri

5. Punching in a Dream by The Naked and Famous

6. Time is Running Out by Muse

7. Too Close by Alex Claire
This one is more a song about herself – singing it to her other life and fighting with herself – even the video clip feels the same way!

8. Heartlines by Florence and the Machine
Because I can imagine ever writing a story that isn’t influenced in some way by her music!

9. Wonderful Life by Hurts

10. Help by Hurts

11. Dark Paradise by Lana Del Rey
If you have read the book then you will know where this song fits in ;)

12. Hey Hey Hey by Claudia Tripp
Also – a fan of the book wrote this song. Check it out!

My thoughts: The playlist gave me chills, and I did end up crying a few times. My favourite songs are Valium, which really affected me, and Distance and Time is Running Out (what’s a playlist without Muse?). I think I compounded the effect because I read the along with it, and sometimes I’d be reading and Sabine’s words and the song lyrics would match up perfectly. I seriously recommend listening to these songs while reading your favourite parts of the novel!

Hop by the previous tour stop and have a read of Jess’s favourite scene from the book and enter to win a copy of Between the Lives, and make sure you head over to YA Midnight Reads on Wednesday to see who Jessica’s Top 10 Favourite Book Characters are. You can check out all the stops on the Between the Lives blog tour here.


About the author:

Jessica Shirvington lives in Sydney with her husband of twelve years, FOXTEL presenter and former Olympic sprinter Matt Shirvington, and their two daughters. She has previously founded and run a fine foods distribution company in London. On her return to Australia in 2009, she focused on her writing. Her urban fantasy series Embrace debuted in 2010 and has since been published internationally. In 2012, the series was picked up by Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment and CBS Studios to be adapted to a television drama for The CW Network.

Between the Lives is Jessica’s fifth release and first stand-alone novel.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Between the Lives on GR

Between the Lives is published in Australia by Harper Collins, and is available now at all good bookstores and online. I have reviewed Between the Lives as part of the 2013 Australian Women Writers Reading Challenge. Thank you to Jessica for taking the time out to share her playlist with us, it’s been a real pleasure to have her on Speculating on SpecFic, and for Amanda at Harper Collins for making the blog tour happen!

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The Mystery of the Golden Card by Garth Nix & Sean Williams

Posted by speculatef on May 13, 2013 in Middle Grade

  • Date published: 1st May 2013
  • Publisher: Allen & Unwin
  • Format: Paperback, 348 pages
  • Series: Troubletwisters, Book 3
  • ISBN 13: 9781742374000
  • Categories: MG – Fantasy
  • Goodreads / Booktopia / Bookworld
  • Source: provided for review by the publisher

Can twins Jack and Jaide find the mysterious Golden Card of Translocation and make it out of Rourke Castle alive?

When eccentric Young Master Rourke dies in suspicious circumstances, troubletwisters Jack and Jaide are sent on a mission by their father to retrieve a lost Golden Card from somewhere within the vast Rourke estate. But secret agents for The Evil are also in pursuit of the card, and the troubletwister twins know that whoever finds it first will gain access to a Gift more powerful or terrible than any other. Together they negotiate secret passages, talking parrots and animated suits of armour, while trying to control their own fledgling Gifts. It rapidly becomes impossible to know who to trust and who might be an agent – even among those closest to them.

The latest Troubletwisters novel is undeniably the best so far – The Mystery of the Golden Card focusses on Jaide and Jack’s first Warden-related mission and gives readers a lot more action than ever before. I like the development of the characters in this book, both the adults and the children, and it feels like the series is finally going somewhere.

I really like that the secrets hinted at in the previous two books are finally coming to light. The twins are better at connecting the dots and figuring things out in this book. The best part is definitely their reluctance to accuse any of their acquaintances as spies for The Evil, they have certainly come a long way from the previous book, where Jaide was accusing innocent people of working for the enemy without a shred of proof.

I also liked the plot and the nice twists and turns that kept the story hurtling along. I found it slightly predictable (but remember, the book isn’t aimed at people my age), but I think the plot makes sense and is handled well. The Mystery of the Golden Card definitely feels more polished and smoother than the two previous instalments.

I was, however, uncomfortable with the secrets that the twins ended up keeping from the adults around them: they hid important things from their grandmother and their parents in the hopes of solving the mystery before anyone knew something was wrong. The worst part: they were actively encouraged to do this by a member of their family. It all worked out in the end and I now know why it had to happen that way, but while reading I was increasingly uncomfortable with the whole situation. I did like that the twins were told the importance of never hiding things from those responsible for their safety and well-being, and so I’m hopeful that this will be less of an issue in the future.

The expansion of the world and the magic the Wardens use is great to see – I loved the cool devices Jack and Jaide used to find the missing card, and the talking death mask of a Warden from ye olde times is my new favourite character. In addition to the magical elements, I loved the introduction of a few new characters, including Cordelia, a talking bird who I adored. I hope she continues to make appearances in the series.

Fans of the Troubletwisters series are encouraged to read the newest offering, The Mystery of the Golden Card. It’s a thrilling adventure that has just the right amount of monsters, action and heroes. I feel like the authors are hitting their stride with the series, and have high hopes for the future.

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Stocktake Saturday 47

Posted by speculatef on May 11, 2013 in Stocktake Saturday

Welcome to Stocktake Saturday! This feature is where I share some bookish news with you and then show you all the bookish goodies I got over the week.


The cover reveals from the last week  - (links to Goodreads pages)

In Bookish News, Julie Kagawa announced the title for the third book in the Blood of Eden series on Twitter: it’s called The Forever Song. The title is creepy and apt, it will make sense if you have read Book 2, The Eternity Cure, and read this *spoilery* case file of Sarren that HarlequinTeen posted up. For Julie’s Iron Fey fans, they have also posted up an awesome Fey-mily Tree – I love it!!

Other title news includes the announcement by Hachette Children’s Books concerning the fifth and final book in Jessica Shirvington’s The Violet Eden Chapters – it will be entitled Empower.

PenguinTeen Australia has released another teaser from The Fiery Heart (Bloodlines #4) by Richelle Mead: “Moroi shied away from sunlight, but as I watched the way it illuminated Sydney, I knew without a doubt that humans had been made for the sun.“

Author Maureen Johnson called for an end to gender inequality in publishing this week by challenging her Twitter followers to reimagine book covers if the author’s gender had been flipped. This article explores the startling realities of book-marketting, and for me, personally, brought to light some uncomfortable truths about the way I judge books by their covers. Check it out here.

The Atlantic’s Noah Berlatsky has written a thought-provoking article on men reading books by women, and what a female author offers a male reader. I liked it, I think it’s good to focus on the positives of reading as a pathway to experience to new things :-)

Tor Books have been publishing their e-books DRM-free for just over a year now. Their verdict on the decision, which was initially met with wide ranging scepticism and nay-saying, is that it has not resulted in a discernible increase in piracy as feared. Hopefully other publishers will soon follow suit.

The YA Sisterhood has happily announced that it will be hosting the YA Crush Tourney again this year, with a few tweaks to take the competition back to its roots. The news has been met with much rejoicing, and frantic searching for perfect book boyfriends by readers. Read up on the new rules here, and get busy with your nomination lists!

And finally, Text Publishing has released the Australian book trailer for Haze (The Rephaim #2) by Paula Weston. You should watch it here, it’s amazing, especially the parts where Mandee from veganYAnerds makes her appearances.

This week I have been Waiting On … The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater.

I have the Between the Lives blog tour stopping by on Monday, Jessica Shirvington will be sharing the Between the Lives playlist with us.

I’ve also got two author interviews coming up: Garth Nix and Sean Williams will answer a few questions about their joint YA series Troubletwisters, and Amy Tintera will be stopping by to celebrate the release of her début novel, Reboot.

I was very lucky this week, I got (mostly unsolicited) physical review copies from PenguinTeen AU, Bloomsbury Sydney, PanMacmillan AU, Hot Key Books, Hachette AU, Allen & Unwin and HarperCollins AU (links to Goodreads):

  • Rising Darkness (Game of Shadows, #1) by Thea Harrison
  • The Bone Season (Scion, #1) by Samantha Shannon – Yay!! This is one of my most anticipated books of 2013, I’m so excited!
  • The Nightmare Affair (The Arkwell Academy #1) by Mindee Arnett – a gorgeous hardcover edition from the wonderful people at PanMacmillan AU
  • The Beautiful and the Cursed (The Dispossessed #1) by Page Morgan – Isn’t our cover awesome?
  • Death & Co. by DJ McCune
  • The Serpent’s Tooth (Empire of the Moghul #5) by Alex Rutherford – why didn’t I know there is a whole series based on the Moghuls? I love this period in history. My library has all the previous books, I’ve requested the first two in the series!

And e-galleys from NetGalley:

Last time I was 11 books behind in my Read Three, Buy One scheme. I reviewed the following books this week:

  1. Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi
  2. Troubletwisters by Garth Nix & Sean Williams
  3. The Monster by Garth Nix & Sean Williams
  4. The Cloud Hunters by Alex Shearer

Which leaves me 7 books behind. Yay, it’s getting closer to a positive number … exciting!

I hope you have some goodies to share as well, leave your links below and I’ll be sure to visit :-)

Happy Reading!

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The Cloud Hunters by Alex Shearer

Posted by speculatef on May 9, 2013 in YA Fantasy

  • Date published: 1st November 2012
  • Publisher: Hot Key Books
  • Format: Paperback, 283 pages
  • ISBN 13: 9781471400193 ISBN 10: 1471400190
  • Categories: YA – Fantasy
  • Goodreads / The Book Depository / Booktopia / Bookworld
  • Source: provided for review by the publisher

Hunting the skies is not for the faint-hearted. In a world where water is scarce and deadly jellyfish swim through the sky, mollycoddled teenager Christien dreams of excitement and danger.

When he meets the exotic and alluring Jenine and her family of Cloud Hunters, he becomes determined to fulfil that dream …

“Dreams don’t cost anything and they don’t usually hurt anyone, except, perhaps, the people who dream them”

Only very rarely do perfect books come one’s way. When they do, they should be treasured, shared, read and re-read. I haven’t read anything as exquisite and beautiful as The Cloud Hunters for years. My only complaint is that I wish there was more. A lot more.

Christien is a young boy on the very cusp of growing up, seeing the world differently, asking questions he would have never asked as a child. I’d peg him at between eleven and fifteen, but the story doesn’t clarify. It doesn’t matter – Christien’s adventure, his coming of age, will speak to everyone, his wry observations of adult life will provoke smiles, the way he views the world make you think. I think he’ll stay with me for a long time. Jenine, his class-mate and eventual friend, is equally interesting. Her Cloud Hunter heritage and pragmatic view on life are intriguing, signs of her unusual upbringing.

“I think the sky was like a book to him; a vast kaleidoscopic volume of innumerable pages, that told some unending, and constantly changing, story.”

Together they lead us on a wonderful adventure of self discovery – plotted superbly by the author and – full of the weird and the wonderful. The world-building is superb: a planet made up of floating islands and a more viscous atmosphere, where the ‘sun’ is the fiery planet core and the ‘sea’ is the air. Ships sail on air, people swim in the air, and the skies teem with sea-based wildlife. Water is scarce, a precious commodity, traded for all other goods, and only the Cloud Hunters risk their lives to ply the trade. Everyone wants water, but everyone wants to hate the dark, mysterious people who bring it to their islands. It’s an amazing setting, and I loved getting to know more about the islands, the people who live on them and the ways in which life is different on this planet. I think the author spent a long time thinking this world through, and I found it to be internally consistent.

Although the world is imagined in rich detail, I think the plot is even more so. We’re told the story in first person, privy to Christien’s wonder, fear and curiosity, and always aware of his attachment to Jenine. While the world building does bog the story down, only very slightly, I think the plot weaves in and out of Christien’s inner monologue well. His eagerness to dream, to experience new things is hampered by the worry of his parents, the expectations of his society and the thought of what is ‘proper’: good boys and girls just don’t become Cloud Hunters.

“Maybe the most ferocious of appearances actually contain the most sensitive of natures; looks can be deterrents, they are the hard shells around the soft insides.”

The Cloud Hunters is a superbly told tale of courage and the power of dreams, one I think is perfect for all readers. It’s the book you read when you want to relax, take some time out, get away from it all. It’s a book that will stay with you long, long after you have turned the last page, closed the cover, and given a contended sigh.

The Cloud Hunters is available now in the UK and Commonwealth from Hot Key Books. It will be available in October 2013 from Sky Pony Press in the US.

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Waiting on Wednesday 36

Posted by speculatef on May 8, 2013 in Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that allows readers to showcase eagerly awaited upcoming releases.

This week I’ve picked The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

  • Expected publication: September 17th 2013 by Scholastic Press
  • Format: Paperback, 416 pages
  • Series: The Raven Cycle, Book 2
  • ISBN13: 9780545424943 ISBN10: 0545424941
  • Goodreads / The Book Depository

Now that the ley lines around Cabeswater have been woken, nothing for Ronan, Gansey, Blue, and Adam will be the same.

Ronan, for one, is falling more and more deeply into his dreams, and his dreams are intruding more and more into waking life.

Meanwhile, some very sinister people are looking for some of the same pieces of the Cabeswater puzzle that Gansey is after …

Maggie is one of my auto-buy authors – she writes, I buy. Automatically. I absolutely can’t wait for this book, I loved The Raven Boys, I have two copies of it (one for keeping, one for reading). I love the emotion and mysticism in Stiefvater’s books, and I don’t think The Dream Thieves will disappoint me! I’m a sucker for illustrated covers as well, and her books have gorgeous covers!

The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater

My review of The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

I’d love to see what you are waiting on … please leave links and I’ll be sure to check them out!

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The Monster by Garth Nix & Sean Williams

Posted by speculatef on May 8, 2013 in Middle Grade

Jaide and Jack Shield have a secret. When they’re unexpectedly sent to live with their mysterious Grandma X, they’re thrust into a world where cats talk and strange weather comes out of nowhere. There they learn that they’re troubletwisters, with powers they must use to stop the Evil from taking over our world.

Before, they’d defeated the Evil through luck and intuition. Now though, Jaide and Jack will have to learn how to use their powers, and how to keep on their toes when evil forces return.

I think this series is improving: the action is better in this instalment, and the story flows more smoothly. The main premise behind The Monster is intriguing, and it’s definitely executed better than Troubletwisters, but I would have liked to see a discussion of the nature of The Evil and why the Wardens need to exist. I think the authors are still underestimating their audience, because the book is filled with simple dialogue and endless repetition of the simplest of concepts (although it could be argued that the protagonists need it, because of their brashness).

There are several things that disturb me about the protagonists. For one, they are convinced that they know better than everyone around them. I know kids are usually like that, but in this case, there are no repercussions for their constant disobedience and general bad behaviour, and they never really get into trouble for deliberately circumventing their grandmother’s instructions and warnings. Jaide, in particular, makes some bad decisions in this book – first accusing an innocent person of being evil and refusing to pursue other theories even when it became clear that she was wrong, and then sticking her nose into Kleo’s business even though her help was neither wanted nor necessary. Jaide starts worrying that how all she wants to do is help, but no one lets her, and it quickly descends into whining.

None of those things are helped by the tendency of the adults, especially Grandmother X, to keep things from the kids even though it was obvious that they knew something was wrong. All it did was prompt them to investigate on their own, and led to a bigger mess for the adults to clean up. Surely, if all younger generations of Wardens are so trouble-prone they’re called troubletwisters, someone would have figured out that it might be better to tell them some things.

It also perplexes me that, for all their insatiable curiosity and tendency to dig up secrets, the twins still haven’t thought about throw-away comments like “Wardens are always born as twins”, and “one will always fall”. Especially when no other seemingly idle comment escapes their attention, and they have wild theories about everything else. It just seems a bit silly that they are ignoring what’s staring them right in the face.

While definitely more enjoyable and finessed than the previous book, The Monster is still plagued by flat characters and a predictable plot. Nix and Williams seem almost hesitant with this series, as if they can’t write it the way they want to, so it comes across as stunted and unsatisfying. I’m really hoping the next books picks the series up, although I don’t have the highest hopes.

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