Book Review (21).

How to Survive the Titanic or the Sinking of J. Bruce Ismay

by Frances Wilson

Publication: 1st September 2011

Publisher: Bloomsbury Australia

Pages: 328

Genre: Historical, Non-Fiction

Age Appropriate: 15+

When the Titanic sank, J. Bruce Ismay, the ship's owner and inheritor of the White Star fortune, jumped into a lifeboat with the women and children and rowed away to safety. Hated for being a coward, his reputation never recovered. 

Author Frances Wilson explores the reasons behind Ismay's jump, his desperate need to make sense of the horror of it all, and journey to find a way of living with lost honour.

My Thoughts.

Before I start this review I have to say that I'm a huge Titanic fan, if I ever see a book I don't have I buy it even if it's the same story over and over again.

I was so excited when I received this book to review it was about the Titanic and I was always interested to know what happened  to Ismay after the sinking of the Titanic and the American and British Inquiries into the sinking.

Unfortunately I wasn't a big fan of this book at all, the parts about the Titanic and Ismay were good, but then for some unknown reason the author decided to compare Ismay's life to some story called 'Lord Jim', and then proceeded to it seemed, put the whole story into the book (which I wasn't even remotely interested in) then after as if that wasn't enough, then decided to give us the life story of this guy who wrote the 'Lord Jim' story and after that his bibliography, everytime it came to one of these bits (and they're spread out throughout the book, so it's not like you could skip a chapter or whatever) it got to the point where I was like not this again, it was too much and didn't really have anything to do with the story.

But there were some good bits, I learned Ismay grew up in a household with a Father who didn't like his kids, and subsequently Ismay treated his own children the same way, he had fallen out of love with his wife after the death of their oldest son and while on the Titanic, seemed to fall in love with one of the 1st class passengers Marian Thayer.

We read about how he contradicted himself quite a few times at the inquiries and after never ever spoke of the Titanic again.

It's hard to say whether Ismay deserved to be the scapegoat that he became after the sinking, he says he got into the lifeboat because there were no other women or children around, other's say he was forced into the lifeboat but we do know around 1,500 people died that night and he could I'm sure easily have found women and children somewhere on the ship to take his spot in the lifeboat.

But it's something we'll never know, only the people there that night knew the truth, it's something that will forever remain a mystery.

I give this 2.5/5

A big thanks to Sonia @ Bloomsbury Australia.

Waiting On Wednesday (6).

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

Blood and Snow (Blood and Snow, #1)

by Richard Denney

October 2012 CreateSpace/RPD

A retelling of Snow White with Witches, Vampires, Zombies, Plenty of gore, and Romance! Snow Whitley is turning seventeen and with her father's recent death she's not up for a big party. Sadly, her step-mother Delora has some other plans in store for her step-daughter. When Delora hires Adam a nineteen year old college student off of craigslist and pays him to take Snow into the woods where her murderer waits, things begin to take a different turn. While driving her out to the woods, Adam begins to fall for the girl and can't help but go back on his word. When Delora learns of his decision, she enlists a vicious Vampire and an army of Zombies to hunt down the two teens and destroy them both. Told in alternating perspectives, "Blood and Snow" takes you on a ride of horror, gore, romance & magic!

Vessel

by Sarah Beth Durst 

11th September 2012 Margaret K. McElderry Books

In a desert land where serpents made of unbreakable glass fly through the sky and wolves made of only sand hunt within storms, Liyana is destined to be a vessel, to sacrifice herself so that her clan's goddess can inhabit her body... but her goddess never comes.

The Sweetest Spell

by Suzanne Selfors

21st August 2012 Walker Children's

A lyrical and romantic reimaging of The Ugly Duckling for teens.

Emmeline Thistle has always had a mysterious bond with cows, beginning on the night of her birth, when the local bovines saved the infant cast aside to die in the forest. But Emmeline was unaware that this bond has also given her a magical ability to transform milk into chocolate, a very valuable gift in a kingdom where chocolate is more rare and more precious than gold or jewels. Then one day Owen Oak, a dairyman’s son, teaches Emmeline to churn milk into butter – and instead she creates a delicious chocolate confection that immediately makes her a target for every greedy, power-hungry person in the kingdom of Anglund. Only Owen loves Emmeline for who she truly is, not her magical skill. But is his love enough to save her from the danger all around her?

The Raft

by S.A. Bodeen 

21st August 2012 Feiwel & Friends

Robie, 16, lives with her family on the Midway atoll, a group of islands in the middle of the Pacific. Her parents are scientists; it’s an isolated life. Robie enjoys visiting her aunt in Hawaii – she gets back and forth on a cargo plane that brings supplies to Midway.

During a visit, her aunt is called to the mainland for a work emergency, leaving Robie to get home on her own. On her flight back to Midway the cargo plane hits nasty weather, and goes down. It’s just Robie, the pilot, and Max, a co-pilot she’s never met till this flight, on board. Robie is pulled aboard a raft by Max, who is injured and slipping in and out of consciousness. They have a bag of candy and very little water between them. When they finally reach an island that seems abandoned, Robie hopes they’ll be found quickly. But she’s not sure she was even on the flight manifest. Her parents must be looking for her…aren’t they?

In THE RAFT, S.A. Bodeen creates a hair-raising suspense story that will have readers agonizing over the same question as Robie -- how long can they survive?

The Taken (Celestial Blues #1)

by Vicki Pettersson 

12th June 2012 Harper Voyager

He’s a fallen angel. She’s a rockabilly reporter. Together they must solve a deadly string of murders plaguing the mortal and the immortal worlds.

Griffin Shaw used to be a PI, but that was over fifty years ago when gumshoes hoofed the streets . . . and he was still alive. Now he’s a Centurion, an angel who assists other murdered souls through their journey to the afterlife. But while Shaw might be an angel … he’s no saint. Haunted by the mysterious events surrounding his own death, he seizes a chance to wreak some vengeance when he witnesses a deadly attack on journalist Katherine “Kit” Craig.

Joining forces, the unlikely avengers take to the streets, hunting a killer whose trail of bodies stretches across Las Vegas and into an immortal netherworld. It is a dangerous trek that lead them into the darkest corners of Sin City and into the heart of an evil conspiracy extending beyond the lights of the Strip that could destory them both.

But destruction isn’t the only threat Griffin faces. The closer he gets to Kit, the more he finds himself bewitched by her mortal charms. Can he resist falling under her spell? And does he want to?

Devine Intervention

by Martha Brockenbrough 

1st June 2012 Arthur A. Levine Books

Heavenly writing, earthy characters, and humor that is wicked as hell.

Heidi is sixteen. Insecure. Unkissed. Unremarkable, she thinks, in every way but one: She has a guardian angel, Jerome, who whispers in her ear all day long, amusing her, confusing her, but hardly ever saying anything that might help her discover who she's meant to be.

Jerome is seventeen (for the seventeenth year in a row.) There is only one thing he needs to do to graduate from heaven's soul rehabilitation program for wayward teenagers: Follow the 10 Commandments for the Dead, and in doing so, keep Heidi safe.

Instead, he accidentally lets her drown.

Plucked from her body before she ever truly lives, Heidi wants more than anything to say goodbye to her family and best friend. Jerome, afraid he's going to be sent to the lowest level of Hell, wants to sneak her into heaven before he gets caught.

Neither realizes that Heidi has only 24 hours before her soul dissolves forever. And that might not be enough time for them to figure out how they were meant to live.

Australian Vs. U.S.A Book Covers.

Gone (Gone #1)

by Michael Grant 

Australian.

American.

2012 Debut Author Challenge.

CHALLENGE OBJECTIVE:

• To read & review a minimum of twelve young adult or middle grade debut novels between the dates of January 1, 2012 - January 31, 2013.*

*The 2013 extension is so that December Debuts can be read and count toward the challenge.

RULES & GUIDELINES:

• You must have a Blog to post your reviews or be a member of Goodreads. 
• Your blog must be written in English.
• Deadline to join is May 31, 2012.

BOOK GUIDELINES:

• Must be a young adult or middle grade title.
• Must be the author’s YA or MG debut, released in 2012.
• If an author has a previous novel published for adults or children, they can still qualify for the challenge.
• If an author has a previous YA or MG title, they do not qualify for the challenge.

Here are 12 debuts next year that I hope to read, more will be added along the way.

Book Review (20).

On a Dark Wing

by Jordan Dane 

Publication: 27th December 2011

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Pages: 384

Genre: Paranormal

Age Appropriate: Young Adult

"The choices I had made led to the moment when fate took over. I would learn a lesson I wasn’t prepared for.
And Death would be my willing teacher."


Five years ago Abbey Chandler cheated Death. She survived a horrific car accident, but her lucky break came at the expense of her mother’s life and changed everything. After she crossed paths with Death—by taking the hand of an ethereal boy made of clouds and sky—she would never be normal again.

Now she’s the target of Death’s Ravens and an innocent boy’s life is on the line. When Nate Holden—Abbey’s secret crush—starts to climb Alaska’s Denali, the Angel of Death is with him because of her.

Abbey finds out the hard way that Death never forgets.

My Thoughts.

I have to start by saying I loved this book, the story starts five years before Abbey has her Mum pick her up from school because she missed the bus, on the way they are in a car accident, while Abbey's lying there a boy with blue eyes  that resembles clouds takes her hand  (Angel Of Death) she hear's her Mum say her name and that is all she remembers, her Mum dies and she wakes up in hospital.

Five years later and Abbey's not popular on account of her Father being the local mortician who keeps the dead bodies in their basement until they're buried, her only friend is a boy named Tanner who is in a wheelchair after being paralysed when he was 12.

Abbey has a crush on a boy at school Nate he and his friend Josh are going to be climbing the Denali mountain with his Dad and some of his Dad's friends (this storyline has to do with Abbey and Death) , every year around her Mum's birthday Abbey and her Dad go up to their family cabin to remember her Mum and it's there she comes face to face with Death again, he's always been watching her and even fell in love with her and he eventually tell's her what happened after the accident (there's a lot Abbey can't remember).

I won't say any more in case I spoil it but when I got to chapter 7 I was like WTF??????

I liked the concept, the part about the accident when Death was telling her what actually happened had me in tears and I liked the alternating views of all the different characters.

I give this 4/5.

Book Review (19).

A Vampire for Christmas

by Laurie London (Goodreads Author), Michele Hauf (Goodreads Author),Caridad Piñeiro (Goodreads Author), Alexis Morgan

Publication: 1st November 2011
Publisher: Harlequin
Pages: 384
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Age Appropriate: Adult


All they want for Christmas is you…

It's the time of year for twinkling lights on trees and kisses under the mistletoe. Yet the passing of another year means nothing to the stunning immortals who lurk in the shadows of the new-fallen snow.

And they don't care if you've been naughty or nice.

Let four fanged lovers open your eyes to a passion you never dared to imagine. After all, there's no place like home for the holidays—and these dazzling vampires can't wait for an invitation.

My Thoughts.

I loved this book and will definately seek out a physical copy.

Enchanted By Blood - Laurie London.

I loved this story it's part of Laurie's Sweetblood series and while I've never read that series I understood what was going on just fine.

Charlene went out to a nightclub with her friend Kari who then ditched her for a guy on the way to her car she is followed by two men just as they are about to attack she's saved by a man who shows up out of nowhere, unknown to Charlene the man who saved her Trace is no stranger he's a vampire she had a relationship with a year prior but he wiped her memory after she saw his cousin killing a woman after feeding on her.

As humans aren't allowed to know about vampires he felt it was the only thing left to do, he ends up hiring her to decorate his house for Christmas (she's an interior designer) and she eventually find's out what he is, and that they used to be together.

I loved this and will definately be checking out the Sweetblood series.

Monster's Don't Do Christmas - Michele Hauf

Daniel has only been a vampire one year after being changed one night on his way home from working on Wall Street , he's in the middle of a fight with two werewolves when they are interrupted by a woman Olivia who then invites Daniel into her home to tend to his wounds.

Olivia and he are instantly attracted to each other but when he find's out she's a famous singer he shy's away not wanting to be in the spotlight because of what he is, this story is about a celebrity who just wants to live a normal life and a vampire afraid of falling in love.

When Herald Angel's Sing - Caridad Pineiro

Over a century ago Damien was human and in love with Angelica, that all changed one Christmas Eve when Angelica was killed while trying to save Damien in a fight with a vampire who then changed Damien into a vampire too, a century later and it's Christmas again and the year before Angelica had come back but was ultimately killed again while trying to save Damien in a fight with the same vampire 100 years ago, this year she's back again and we find out she's actually his guardian angel who's trying to save him from killing and going to hell.

This story had a sort of a It's A Wonderful Life theme to it.

All I Want For Christmas - Alexis Morgan

Eagan is a vampire and was born that way, he's an undercover cop who's precinct is full of supernatural beings while on the hunt for some out of control vampires who are paying money to people to drink their blood stakes out at a diner run by Della who see's the good in everyone and doesn't realise most of the customers who frequent her diner are of the supernatural variety. 

They're attracted to each other but it takes Eagan a while to come around, it isn't until Della cuts herself one night and Eagan heals her with his saliva and blood she finds out who he is.

I loved this anthology and give it 5/5.

Australian Vs. U.S.A Book Covers.

Mercy (Mercy #1)

by Rebecca Lim 

Australian.

American.