Category Archives: Books

My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent

Something is wrong with Kaylee Cavanaugh…
She can sense when someone near her is about to die. And when that happens, a force beyond her control compels her to scream bloody murder. Literally.
Kaylee just wants to enjoy having caught the attention of the hottest boy in school. But a normal date is hard to come by when Nash seems to know more about the dark forces behind Kaylee’s power before she does.
And when classmates start dropping dead for no apparent reason and only Kaylee knows who’ll be next, she realises that finding a boyfriend is the least of her worries.

Take a feisty young woman with a past shrouded in tragedy, living with an aunt, uncle and a bitchy cousin. Add a mysterious power that could be supernatural in origin or a symptom of psychological imbalance and throw in a sexy love interest that is mysterious and appears to know more than he should about her and who she is. So far so, generic right?
Well no actually…
My Soul to Take, the first book in the Soul Screamers series opens with a premonition of death in a club, unable to speak to her aunt and uncle about it (the perils of underage clubbing) she has to rely on her best friend Emma and Nash (the hottest boy in school) to work out what is happening to her.

This is the story of Kaylee, told from her perspective as she takes her first steps beyond ignorance of the supernatural, into a wider world of faeries, monsters and demons. Rachel Vincent has captured the voice of a teenage girl who is struggling to fit in with her life at school, find love and at the same time is coming to terms with the realisation that she is possibly not crazy and that there may be more to her visions than psychosis. The only problem is that her understanding of her powers comes as people start dropping dead around her.
The personal development is carefully paced and although the action quotient is high the story never feels rushed, and we are left with more questions than answers which is good as there are several books still to come.

My Soul to Take is squarely aimed at the Twilight demographic, my only concern is that plastering “Twilight fans will love it” (from Kirkus Reviews) on the cover may put off those that did not enjoy Twilight, as MSTS is very much its own story and (IMHO) far more gripping than Twilight was.

Delightfully low in angst!

Richard Denning Blog Tour

Richard was born in Ilkeston in Derbyshire, UK and lives in Sutton Coldfield in the West Midlands. He works as a General Practitioner (family doctor)with a North Birmingham practice. He is 43 and married with two children.

He is a Young-Adult sci-fi, historical fiction and historical fantasy writer. He also writes book and board game reviews and online articles on historical and gaming related topics. He owns his own small publishing house, Mercia Books and is part of a board game design house Medusa Games.

A keen player of board games and other games he is one of the directors of UK Games Expo (the UK’s largest hobby games convention). He is a board game designer and his first Board Game, ‘The Great Fire on London 1666’ was published by Medusa Games and Prime Games in October 2010.

Author website: http://www.richarddenning.co.uk

Tomorrow’s Guardian Review

When schoolboy Tom Oakley discovers he can transport himself through time, he draws the attention of evil men who seek to bend history to their will.

Tom’s family are obliterated and he soon faces an impossible choice: To save the world he must sacrifice his family.

Tom Oakley is a normal boy, growing up with friends and family until he starts having funny turns, hallucinating about jumping in time an space as well as dreams where he finds himself in other peoples bodies reliving the terrifying final moments of their lives he starts to think that he is going mad. Add to this the general concerns of bullying, school work and the life a young boy on the cusp of becoming a teen he starts really worrying about his mental well-being.

Mixing in historical fact and real characters to the story Richard Denning has created a fantastic yarn that educates as it entertains. The historical detail is richly detailed and described, from the battle formations of the Zulu armies to the Great Fire of London.

What really made the story stand out for me was the opposing side – all good time-travel stories have an adversary and Tomorrow’s Guardian is no exception. Captain Redfeld makes a brilliant counterpoint to Tom’s guide Septimus who has less than pure ideas on how to usehis power. Redfeld is open about his desires to use his powers to change the world rather than for personal enrichment, making offers that Tom struggles to reject.

Battles across time have been done before and the ultimate enemies have been around for some time but all the concepts are neatly handled. The choices Tom is faced with are as old as time itself – using power for the good of all or the good of a few and how fart would you go to protect loved ones.

Tense and gripping stuff – Tomorrow’s Guardian is a classic time jumping yarn that mixes high adventure, historical fact with a nail-biting finale. This book will be fantastic for pre and early teen readers that love action adventure with a dash of history and mystery.

View other stops on Richard Denning’s blog tour here

My Sister Lives on the Mantlepiece by Annabel Pitcher

I was fortunate enough to be invited to the media screening of the trailer for My Sister Lives on the Mantlepiece by Annabel Pitcher. You can watch the trailer below and start looking forward to the 1st March 2011 when the book will be released.

Dragon Heir by Emma Vieceli

Emma Vieceli is a member of independent manga studio Sweatdrop Studio and one of the top manga artists in the UK, she has illustrated books for Self Made Hero Press, a story in the Eisner Award Winning collection Comic Book Tattoo and had work published in many other books and magazines.

Dragon Heir is the work she started when she first joined Sweatdrop and is important on a number of levels, and, as Emma herself says:

Sweatdrop members are of course independent creators. What that means is that it’s just little old me and my book. Being picked up by Diamond as an independent creator is a huge honour, but getting stock to retailers is the harder step. Spreading the word and ordering copies is something that everyone can help with. Help out an indie creator and demand that your local bookshops order in copies of Dragon Heir, because reading epic stories filled with pretty people, swords and angst is everyone’s right! ^_^

If your library hosts a Manga Club then Dragon Heir will be an essential part of your collection, it will be proof for your young manga artists that it is possible that they can have their works published. Even if your library does not have a manga club this book is necessary, it is beautifully illustrated, cracking story that has been created, written and illustrated by a UK artist , so in purchasing it you will be supporting local industry and adding a brilliant book to your collections.

Even if your library does not have a manga collection, Dragon Heir will be a good book to start your collection!

Go on order it! You know you want to!

The Left Hand of God a novel by Paul Hoffman


Occasionally one is lucky to stumble across a book that is mind-blowing in its intensity that you just have to stop and appreciate the sheer art that went into its creation.

The Left Hand of God is one such book! It was so brutal, gripping and amazing that I had trouble in putting it aside until I had finished, that said it took me three days to finish reading it.

I have not felt annoyance at having to go to bed or to work or in fact do anything other than quietly sit and absorb the story in ages.

Listen. The Sanctuary of the Redeemers on Shotover Scarp is named after a damned lie, for there is no redemption that goes on there and less sanctuary…

So begins the story of Thomas Cale, Kleist, Slow Henry and Riba. Cale’s entire life, and that of Kleist and Henry has been one of deprivation, and cruelty, a life in which they are being moulded in special ways to fight against the enemies of the Redeemers.

Forced to flee the Sanctuary after becoming witness to a crime that was hideous & brutal even to him, he becomes a prize that the Redeemers will never cease to chase. Finding, not exactly sanctuary, but relief with the Materazzi who capture them, Cale and his friends are schooled in the life of a culture that values good food, fine women, humour and the importance of nobility and class over capability, Cale and his friends learn that brutality and heartlessness exist even outside the walls of the Sanctuary.

Thomas Cale remains an enigma throughout, a tactical genius and born fighter, he looks upon battle less an art and rather something to be settled quickly and as brutally as possible. Showing flashes of cruelty and kindness to his few friends and (ever-growing number of) enemies, his back-story is eked out gradually over the course of the book; but the true nature of his importance to the Redeemers is kept a secret until the end.

Part historical epic and theological mystery as well as being a high-octane adventure thriller, The Left Hand of God takes place in a world familiar yet subtly different. Throughout the tale I kept catching glimpses and snippets of historical facts that I recognized but were strangely unfamiliar¬

The Left Hand of God is a book that could easily be my favourite book of the year, the only thing I want to do now is say write faster Paul Hoffman! I need to find out what happens next!

Wereworld: Rise of the Wolf by Curtis Jobling

‘YOU’RE THE LAST OF THE WEREWOLVES. DON’T FIGHT IT, SON; EMBRACE IT. CONQUER IT.’

When the air is clear, sixteen year-old Drew Ferran can pick up the scent of a predator.

When the moon breaks through the clouds, a terrifying fever grips him.
And when a vicious beast invades his home, his gums begin to tear, his fingers become claws, and Drew transforms . . .

Forced to flee the family he loves, Drew seeks refuge in the most godforsaken parts of Lyssia. But when he is captured by Lord Bergan’s men, Drew must prove he is not the enemy.

There is something about epic fantasy that makes me geek out in a major way, and Rise of the Wolf is no exception. I had only ever heard about Curtis Jobling in connection with is you know who and when I was sent a copy of Return of the Wolf to review, I was not too sure about what to expect. The werewolf on the cover looks too friendly and fluffy to be a ravening beast of terror– although in hindsight after reading the book it fits in with Drew’s personality.

Even better is that although it looks like paranormal fantasy (the cover has a full moon, a moodily handsome main character and is shiny) it is not paranormal fantasy, it is epic fantasy and although it has therianthropes (were-beasts), magic and teenagers in peril it is not paranormal fantasy or even an urban romance.

Brief disclaimer: I do enjoy YA Paranormal Fantasy/Romance but I have been reading so much of it lately.

Having a good old-fashioned sword & (some) sorcery with added werelords made a welcome change.

Rise of the Wolf
is a brilliant beginning to looks like an awesome series!

Why did I like it? The structure is almost perfect for the beginning point of a series, the introduction of Drew, who is very much a homebody with very little interest in the wider world until something very bad™ happens and he has to flee for his life. As the story progresses we learn with him – about who he is, how his world works and how were-beasts get their abilities as well as touching on politics and social inequality with oblique references to humans as second class citizens. Fantasy worlds have always interested me, and, as I have previously mentioned I am a big fan of epic fantasy, and in this type of series the characters usually have an entire world to play in. Hints and brief descriptions of far-of lands are peppered throughout the book which bodes well for travel in future titles of this series. I also really enjoyed the flashes of horror that cropped up – werewolves experiencing monster attacks is something new for me! The politics was also interesting as a sub-plot with past betrayals and old broken alliances hinted at and at the end the son of a dead Wolf-king versus the King of the Beasts.

My 15 year-old inner reader LOVED this book, I am currently 20 years older than him and I loved it too!

Teen Crime Fiction Blog Launching this week

The best of British YA Crime Fiction will be featured on Crime Central

The masterminds behind this site are Keren David, Anne Cassidy, Linda Strachan and Gillian Philip.

Crime Central will officially launch on the 6th January!

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

Another Christmas Eve review written in rhyme. This time Andrea Cremer’s new YA novel Nightshade gets the treatment…
‘Twas the night before Christmas, in old London Town
The snow lay outside, turning slushy and brown.
I wanted to go out, but it was too cold
So I picked up a book, of which I’d been told!

A novel called Nightshade, by Andrea Cremer
I’d heard it was good, man it was a screamer!
A tale about Calla, who could turn furry,
A Guardian – not werewolf (though the difference was blurry).

She saved a young lad named Shay, from attack
A choice that could mean death by her pack
The rules they were harsh, and completely unfair
but desire took root in her heart then and there.

The Guardians protect from the Searchers, the Keepers
I looked to the sky and shouted Goodness Jeepers!
This book it is good and once you begin
in a battle between this and your bed – book will win!

This book it is great, but over too soon
and when you crawl into bed and look at the moon.
Do not feel sad as you turn out your light
Because there will be more, so you can have a good night!

There is only one thing to say after reading this book and that is ZOMG! this book is fantastic!

A strong female lead, mysteries, wrapped in enigmas, teasing revelations throughout the book (but not enough to make everything clear), raging teenage werewolf hormones, the perils of interspecies romance.

It is a massive cliché to say this but: I did not want this book to end, sadly it did and it left me wanting more! Damn it, the second book is not out yet, they say that delayed gratification is good, but I want it now!

Post of the Living Dead

I love and hate zombies in equal measure and for the same reason, they are the most frightening of all the things that go bump in the night! They were the first monsters to give me nightmares as a child – I blame Peter Haining who edited a book called Zombie back in the 1980’s. This was an anthology of classic and modern (for the’80’s) zombie short stories. Zombie lead me on to the novelisation of George Romero’s Dawn of the Dead – In a world where life is a commodity, where survival is bought with guns, and where satisfaction is having free run of a department store, the dead will finally rule us all . . . this was the book that gave me nightmares, in my defence I was 12. That is me on the left, if you would like to become zombielicious go here: Diary of the Dead Facechanger Files

Zombies are back in fashion and have been for a few years now.

In YA novels you can read the Beautiful Dead series by Eden Maguire – Not alive. Not dead. Somewhere inbetween lie the Beautiful Dead.
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The first two books in the series have been reviewed on Teen Librarian and can be viewed here


The Enemy
& The Dead by Charlie Higson, two spine chilling books set in a London that we recognize but peopled by the survivors of a sickness that infected every parent, policeman, politician – every adult fell ill.

The lucky ones died. The others are crazed, confused and hungry.

Only children under fourteen remain, and they’re fighting to survive.

Now there are rumours of a safe place to hide. And so a gang of children begin their quest across London, where all through the city – down alleyways, in deserted houses, underground – the grown-ups lie in wait.

But can they make it there – alive?

Generation Dead by Walter Daniels

fohatForest of Hands and Teeth and the Dead Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan The Forest of Hands and Teeth was also reviewed on Teen Librarian here

Monster Island by David Wellington

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Graham Smith is the story of Pride & Prejudice with added zombies (a post about classic & monster mash-ups will follow soon)

So Now You’re a Zombie: A Handbook for the Newly Undead
by John Austin

Not even the Star Wars Universe is free from the undead, Death Troopers by Joe Schreiber tells the tale of an Imperial Prison Barge that finds a derelict Star Destroyer floating in space. A baording party goes aboard to investigate but only half come back…

Not YA books but will still get a readership Max Brooks has written two books dealing with Zombies:

The Zombie Survival Guide a must-have guide to surviving the upcoming Zombie Apocalypse

World War Z – an oral history of the start, duration and aftermath of the Zombie Apocalypse


Zombies: a record of the year of infection by Don Roff is a detailed account on one man’s attempt to survive the Zombie Apocalypse.

Zombies have also lurched onto the pages of comic books, currently the best-known zombie comic series is The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman – possibly the most successful black & white comic book in the world today. The Walking Dead has also been turned into a televisions series and is currently being shown in the UK.

Other zombie comic books worth a look include:

Raise the Dead by Leah Moore and John Reppion.
Black Gas by Warren Ellis
Marvel Zombies

Dreaming of a Twilight Christmas?

Enter Atom Books‘ competition to stand a chance of winning the Twi-white books.

To celebrate the release of these gorgeous creations Atom has put together a daily competition over at their Facebook page, which gives you the chance to test your Twilight knowledge and win fab prizes over the next four weeks. And these new books have also given them the perfect excuse to put together another vampy, shapeshifter inspired treat for you, before revealing some cracking Christmas surprises!

Head over to their Facebook page to test your Twilight knowledge and win prizes. Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter to be the first in the know!