Angel Kiss

DISCLAIMER: Just to let people know that I do know the author through her wonderful blog: www.laurajanecassidy.com

Angel Kiss tells the story of Jacki King, a not-so-typical teenager who moves with her mum from Dublin (Ireland's capital city) to Avarna - a quaint little village where everyone knows everyone else - including their business. Soon though, Jacki begins to realise, through her new found gift, that Avarna and it's people may not be as innocent as they seem. . .


First, I have to say well done to Cassidy for creating such vivid and living characters. Although sometimes there might be too much detail given concerning Jacki - it does help the reader understand her character. Of all the characters in this story, my personal favourite is Jacki's side kick, Colin - he is such 'craic' and was great at lightening the often tense tone of the book. For me personally, reading about Jacki was often quite eery as elements of her life and even her thoughts seemed to reflect my own.

Second, I enjoyed the mixture of thriller with a dash of the paranormal / supernatural within a young adult book - I don't think this is done often enough. In the YA, there is the trend to jump fully into the PR and leave reality behind, but I think Cassidy kept a nice balance and perhaps created a new genre of Rural Fantasy as opposed to Urban ;)

Third, although (from years of watching criminal minds etc.) I had a good idea of who the murderer was (and who it wasn't) I do think Cassidy did a very good job at throwing lots of twists, turns and red herrings to keep the reader guessing till the end. I did think the resolution of the murder plot was very sudden, as there was a slow burn through out the book and then all is revealed in a matter of a few pages. But I did like the summary of the events that followed which brought closure to this storyline. Similarly I think the 'nick' plot could have been developed more but then again I did enjoy that 'nick' wasn't the centre of the book's universe and that he was secondary to the primary plot - which is refreshing in YA.

Finally, I have to say Cassidy did a wonderful job with prologue and epilogue - the thematic/symbolic importance of the number four is haunting and I really enjoyed how she tied the story from the beginning to the end.

So if you're looking for something a little different in the young adult section (especially if you're non-irish) I would recommend Angel Kiss by Laura Jane Cassidy, as it has a nice mixture of thrills, drama and of course supernatural elements with a different cultural backdrop that will provide a unique read.

Exam time again!

Hi everyone! Posting might get a bit sporadic for the next 3-4 weeks, as it's exam time again, then I'm heading across the pond to America for the summer again! There's several reviews that I'm hoping to post before I leave, but I just don't feel like I can justify writing book reviews before I've done enough revision for the day, and as most people who've had exams to revise for will know, procrastinating is far easier than actually working! So things are slowing down here for a few weeks. Once I get to the states, I'm hoping to be able to post at least once I week, but I know from last summer that I don't have as much time to read as I would like, so we'll see how it goes - I'll give you an update on that closer to the time.

In the mean time, does anyone have book recommendations at the moment? Any genre, really, but I'm particularly interested in shape-shifter related stories. What good books have you read recently?

~Ailsa

Rivers of London, (or Midnight Riot) by Ben Aaronovitch

Title: Rivers of London (UK) / Midnight Riot (USA)

Author: Ben Aaronovitch

Publisher: Gollancz (UK) / Del Ray (USA)

Release Date: Out Now!

Source: Bought in Waterstones, London

Description from author website: My name is Peter Grant and until January I was just probationary constable in that mighty army for justice known to all right-thinking people as the Metropolitan Police Service (as the Filth to everybody else). My only concerns in life were how to avoid a transfer to the Case Progression Unit – we do paperwork so real coppers don’t have to – and finding a way to climb into the panties of the outrageously perky WPC Leslie May.

Then one night, in pursuance of a murder inquiry, I tried to take a witness statement from someone who was dead but disturbingly voluable, and that brought me to the attention of Inspector Nightingale, the last wizard in England. Now I’m a Detective Constable and a trainee wizard, the first apprentice in fifty years, and my world has become somewhat more complicated: nests of vampires in Purley, negotiating a truce between the warring god and goddess of the Thames, and digging up graves in Covent Garden . . . and there’s something festering at the heart of the city I love, a malicious vengeful spirit that takes ordinary Londoners and twists them into grotesque mannequins to act out its drama of violence and despair. The spirit of riot and rebellion has awakened in the city, and it’s falling to me to bring order out of chaos – or die trying.

I heard a lot about this book when it was first released, but didn't really know what it was about. I was about to get on a train home from London to Edinburgh, and needed something to read, so I decided to check it out. Lo and behold, not only was it a genre I like to read, but it sounded really good. I must have read about half of it on that journey home, and the rest in a second, later sitting. I love it.

When the book starts, Peter Grant is about to be assigned to a branch of the police, and is trying hard not to antagonise his superiors (too much). Along with his friend Lesley, he ends up standing around in the cold in the wee hours of the morning guarding a murder scene. And it's here that he meets the first ghost. He's soon picked up by Inspector Nightingale, and moves in to The Folly, where suddenly he has to learn magic on top of his ordinary police duties. Don't worry - there's no waving magic wands around.

The plot moves between the string murders that Peter knows are linked, even if he can't quite work out how yet, and a territory dispute between two of the river deities in the city - Father Thames, who controls the north, and Mama Thames who controls the south. I loved the interactions with the rivers. Although manifestations of something like a river are things I've come across before in books, I felt like this was fresh in many ways, and the personalities of each of the rivers were very strong. It's a very clever plot, full of twists and turns, and I was constantly wondering what would happen next. I had a wonderful 'oh!' moment mid-book where it 'clicked' and suddenly I could see how things were tied together - but it wasn't like the typical 'oh' moment in a book. Sometimes it clicks, and you can see exactly who the bad guy is, and how the rest of the book will pan out. This wasn't like that. I still had so many questions, and I had no idea how things would work out. I'll say it again - it's a very clever plot. I love it.

My favourite part of the book though, the thing that kept me reading so fast, was the writing. It's suffused with humour, and within the first few pages of the book you get a distinct impression of the main character's voice. I kept stopping to read bits to my dad, or anyone else who was nearby. Aaronovitch brings the city of London to life, whether you're familiar with it or have never been before.

In short, this book is brilliant. I love it. I can't wait to read the sequel - and luckily, it's out now too! So I'll have to find my way to a bookshop soon.

Rivers Of London gets 10 out of 10 from me.

~Ailsa

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren, and is a way to show the books you got this week.

I've had a slow time for books recently, catching up on my 'to read' pile instead, but I did get a couple this week.

First, for review I got an e-ARC of 'Before The Witches' by Karina Cooper.

Karina Cooper is a debut author - according to the description, this book is a novella-length prequel to her series, the first book of which will be released on May 31st. This one comes out on May 17th. I'm really looking forward to reading this, and the series sounds like something I'd like. Thanks Harper Collins for the e-arc!

I bought an ebook for the first time. Whoop! I've read ebooks for a while from net galley for review, but this is the first time I've bought one. I got "Lust, Lace, and Lingerie" by Brandi Evans after reading a review on ParaJunkie's blog. It was really good! I'll try and post a review soon.

And then something completely different - I bought a copy of 'Something Else' by Kathryn Cave and Chris Riddell.

I love Chris's illustrations *happy face* I read this book when I was younger, and it's one that we still refer to in our family. I'm going to work in a summer camp in the USA this summer, like I did last year, and this book has a story that reflects the 'accept people' attitude of the camp, so I wanted to take a copy with me to share it with the kids. (If you're interested, I'm blogging about my summer camp experience here)

So, that's my mailbox! What did you get this week? Feel free to share your links, I love seeing what books people got :)

~Ailsa

CHLOE NEILL: 'HARD BITTEN' blog tour - author interview

Ladies and gentlemen, today I am honoured to welcome Chloe Neill to the blog!

Chloe is the author of both the YA 'Dark Elite' series, and the 'Chicagoland Vampires' series, and is here today to talk a bit about book 4 in the series, 'Hard Bitten', which is released May 3rd.

So without further ado, let's get started!

Ailsa: Welcome to the blog Chloe! I really love the series, so it's great to have you here. How did you first come up with the idea for Merit & her world? Was it Merit first?

Chloe: Merit was first, but her name was Katie and she was in a band with her best friend, Mallory. She was attacked by a vampire in a club, and saved by Morgan (who owned the club). I thought that was a little silly, so I put the pages aside. And then one day I had a mental image of Ethan, and the rest flowed from there.

Ailsa: It's interesting that Ethan wasn't there straight away. Do the characters ever do things that you aren't expecting, or do you have things pretty tightly planned out?

Chloe: A little of both. I generally know where I want a book to go, but sometimes the characters surprise me. The antagonist in DRINK DEEP, the fifth book (Nov. 2011) was a complete surprise to me!

Ailsa: Ooh, I'm intrigued! And I'm very glad that Drink Deep comes out relatively close to Hard Bitten. So can you tell us a little bit about your journey to publication - did it take you a while, or was it fairly quick?

Chloe: SOME GIRLS BITE was the second manuscript I wrote. I received one rejection for my first manuscript, then sent SOME GIRLS BITE to one publisher--Penguin. My editor bought the first two books, and the rest is history! I consider myself very lucky to have had such a quick route to the shelf.

Ailsa: That does sound very quick! Has your life changed much since the books were published?

Chloe: I have a full-time dayjob, so it's mostly become much busier with writing, editing, marketing, blogging, interviewing, etc. I don't get many days (or hours) off.

Ailsa: Twice Bitten was a bit of a rollercoaster ride for my emotions - can we expect more of the same in Hard Bitten?

Chloe: I hope that readers think all my books include a good emotional rollercoaster and with some resolution at the end!

Ailsa: They do, but I thought it was especially true for Twice Bitten! I can't wait to see what happens next! Finally, I know I'm going to love HARD BITTEN - can you tell us one reason why you think readers will love this one?

I think we see Ethan's and Merit's relationship grow, and we see Merit really dive into her position as Sentinel. I'm very

proud of her!

Thanks for having me today!

Ailsa: You're welcome! I'm so excited to read the book now!

HARD BITTEN comes out on May 3rd in the USA, and 11th May in the UK.

For more information about Chloe Neill and all her books, check out her website or blog.

Island of Icarus, by Christine Danse

Content warning: This is an adult novel, and may not be suitable for younger readers.

Title: Island of Icarus
Author: Christine Danse
Publisher: Carina Press
Released: out now!
Source: review copy via NetGalley

Description from publisher website:
Field Journal of Jonathan Orms, 1893

En route to polite exile in the Galapagos Islands (field work, to quote the dean of my university), I have found myself marooned on a deserted tropical paradise. Deserted, that is, except for my savior, a mysterious American called Marcus. He is an inventor—and the proof of his greatness is the marvelous new clockwork arm he has created to replace the unsightly one that was ruined in my shipboard mishap.

Marcus has a truly brilliant mind and the gentlest hands, which cause me to quiver in an unfamiliar but rather pleasant way. Surely it is only my craving for human companionship that draws me to this man, nothing more? He says a ship will pass this way in a few months, but I am welcome to stay as long as I like. The thought of leaving Marcus becomes more untenable with each passing day, though staying would be fatal to my career...

My thoughts: I'll be honest - I was disappointed with this story. Two men on a desert island making interesting clockwork things while they fall in love - it sounded interesting. The story starts with Jonathan describing how he was pushed into taking a sabbatical from the university where he was working. Although I liked knowing how he got to the island, I found myself skimming over the first two chapters, until he was shipwrecked.

I feel like the story went too slowly - I was often scanning over pages, waiting for something more interesting to happen. I think some of it might have been the way the story was told - it's all written as Jonathan's diary, and takes place in the 1890s, so is very... staid, in the way Jonathan writes. The time period was something else that bugged me, for different reasons. I'll admit I don't read much historical romance, but I think some points are fairly consistently agreed on, and a couple of the things Jonathan describes as having happened just don't seem likely to have happened.

He also seems to adjust very quickly and easily to the idea of being attracted to a man, and this man being attracted to him. To me, it just didn't feel very realistic, and it was the little things like that that kept pulling me out of the story.

I did like Marcus's inventions - they were very interesting. It wasn't a boring story, or too unbelievable, it just felt very 'meh' to me. I'd love to hear other people's opinions on this book if you have read it - what did you like/dislike? Have you read anything else by Christine Danse? What did you think of that?

Overall, I give Island of Icarus 5 out of 10.

~Ailsa

Exciting Announcements, and a winner!

There are some very interesting things coming up on The Book Bundle in the next few weeks!

Before we get to them, though, I need to announce the winner of the 'Witch & Wizard' giveaway. I put the number of entries into a random number generator and the winner is: Diana!
Congratulations Diana, I'll get it in the post to you at the end of the week. Keep an eye on the blog for more giveaways and contests soon!

First bit of exciting news: on April 19th, Chloe Neill, author of the Chicagoland Vampire series & the Dark Elite series, will be here for the first day of her blog tour, for the release of Hard Bitten, book 4 in the Chicagoland series! You can find out more about Chloe on her blog, here. Chloe will be doing an interview. I'm very very excited to be participating in the tour - I read the first three books in the series in January, and absolutely loved them.

Secondly, towards the end of the month we will have another author interview, this time with Karen Mahoney, author of The Iron Witch which came out earlier this year. Again, I'm very excited about this, and I hope you will drop by to read and leave comments :)

Finally, if you want a sneak peek at some of the things coming up on the blog, check out the widget on the right hand side of the page where we've got a list of just some of the things coming up in the next few weeks. If you have any questions, suggestions of things you'd like to see on the blog, or just want to chat about books, I'm always happy to hear from you - my e-mail is on the right hand side of the page.

~Ailsa