Book Review (9).

Emerald

by Karen Wallace

Publication: November 1st 2011

Publisher: Simon And Schuster Australia

Pages: 277

Genre: Historical Fiction

Age Appropriate: Young Adult

Price: $16.99

Emerald St. John is in trouble. She has been condemned to marry a man she hates. Her enemies are conspiring to have her pet bear Molly torn apart in the baiting pits, and the man she loves is far away on the high seas. And she has stumbled into a web of spies with a plot to poison Queen Elizabeth I. To save herself and the kingdom, she must beat the spies at their own game - which means transforming herself from a country girl into a Court lady. Can she do it in time? Set against a detailed and vivid recreation of a great Elizabethan manor house, EMERALD will bring to life a world where the most sophisticated rules of etiquette went hand in with brutality and superstition.

My Thoughts.

Emerald is an historical novel set in Elizabethan England.

When Emerald's father dies she and her brother Richard are sent to live with their Aunt and Uncle at Hawkstone Hall.

Emerald is seven when she's sent away and can't understand why she can't stay with her mother.

The story moves ahead to Emerald at the age of 16, her brother Richard is at sea, she doesn't get along with her cousin Arabella and the only person she's close to is her Aunt Frances who is like a mother to her.Her mother (whom Emerald hasn't seen or heard from since she was 7)  sends a letter to her Uncle Charles to inform him that she has arranged a marriage between  Emerald and a Lord Suckley (an old hideous man in appearance and character).

Of course Emerald does not want to marry Lord Suckley but no one will listen to her.

There are minor characters in the book I love Meg who works in the kitchen, who has a habit of hiding under tables and listening in on private conversations, and Sarah a servant who grew up with Emerald.

She falls in love with Sam a swashbuckling friend of her brother's, who I loved.

And underneath it all is a plot brought about by Emerald's mum which is the reason she's being married off to Lord Suckley.

So if you like 16th century tales with mystery,romance, spies, deceit and quite a lot of twists and turns to keep you on your feet then please read this book.

I give this a 4/5

A big thanks to Caroline @ Simon And Schuster Australia.

Australian Vs. U.S.A Book Covers.

Crave (The Clann #1)

by Melissa Darnell 

Australian.

American.

Waiting On Wednesday (3).

Waiting On Wednesday Is A Weekly Meme Hosted By Breaking The Spine.

Undeadly (The Reaper Diaries #1)

by Michele Vail
February 28th 2012 Harlequin Teen.

The day I turned 16, my boyfriend-to-be died. I brought him back to life. Then things got a little weird...

Molly Bartolucci wants to blend in, date hottie Rick and keep her zombie-raising abilities on the down-low. Then the god Anubis chooses her to become a reaper—and she accidentally undoes the work of another reaper, Rath.

Within days, she’s shipped off to the Nekyia Academy, an elite school that trains the best necromancers in the world. And her personal reaping tutor? Rath. Who seems to hate her guts.

Rath will be watching closely to be sure she completes her first assignment-reaping Rick, the boy who should have died. The boy she still wants to be with.

To make matters worse, students at the academy start turning up catatonic, and accusations fly—against Molly. The only way out of this mess? To go through hell. Literally

Wrecked

by Anna Davies
May 1st 2010 Simon And Schuster Children's Publishing.

Miranda has lived on Whym Island since the death of her parents. She has taken comfort in its seclusion and in the folklore that claims a mysterious sea witch controls the fate of all on the island and its surrounding waters. It's just been easier to believe that things are out of her control.

But when a terrible boating accident takes the lives of several of her friends, Miranda is rescued by a mysterious boy that haunts her dreams. As the guilt of the accident consumes her, she finds refuge in her late night swims. Then, she meets Christian, a boy who seems so familiar, but won't tell her where he is from and why they can only meet at the beach. As Miranda falls for Christian and begins to put the accident behind her, she discovers that there are secrets that Christian is keeping to protect her that may only end up bringing her nothing but harm.

Australian Vs. U.S.A Book Covers.

Unleashed (Wolf Springs Chronicles #1)

by Nancy Holder 

Australian.

American.

New Cover Reveal.

Dreamless (Starcrossed #2)

by Josephine Angelini

So Pretty.

Book Review (8).

Assault 

(Recon Team Angel #1)

by Brian Falkner

Publication: November 1 2011

Publisher: Walker Books Australia

Pages: 368

Genre: Action/Adventure

Age Appropriate: Young Adult

The first in a high octane sci-fi adventure series by best-selling and award-winning author, Brian Falkner.

It is 2030, and the world is at war with an alien race. The Bzadians. The battleground: Earth. Recon Team Angel, made up of teenagers from around the world, has been training for years. They have learned Bzadian languages. Learned how to operate their weapons. How to work, eat, and think like them. Now it is time to act. Recon Team Angel must slip behind enemy lines, work their way into the top-secret alien facility under Uluru, and uncover the truth. But what they discover will shock not just them, but all of humanity

My Thoughts.

The story starts off in 2030 most of the world excluding New Zealand And America (which are now called free territories) have been taken over by aliens called Bzadian's.

They came claiming peace but instead plotted to take over the world and wipe out all of humanity, Australia is their base of operations in particular Uluru in the Northern Territory.

Six soldiers from around the world have been trained to imitate the Bzadians to infiltrate and take them down.

The big mystery is what is hidden inside Uluru , the soldier's task is to find out and then destroy it.

Then of course their is a traitor in amongst the six soldiers and I have to say I never guessed who it was and I was shocked when it was revealed.

But the biggest shock was the ending I never could have guessed at what was inside Uluru it was certainly a big surprise.

If you like a lot of action, gun fights, espionage, deceit and shocking reveals this is the book for you.

I give this book 3.5/5

A big thanks to Joanna @ Walker Books Australia

Teaser Tuesdays (3).

Teaser Tuesdays Is A Meme Hosted By MizB Over At Should Be Reading.

My Teasers.

Chisnall tried to move his arms.

The right one responded, but there was no movement from his left, if it even still existed.

Page 265  Assault (Recon Team Angel #1) - Brian Falkner.