New Releases (12): May 8 - May 14

May 8th

1) City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

2) Underworld by Meg Cabot

3) Enchanted by Alethea Kontis

4) Endure by Carrie Jones

5) First Comes Love by Katie Kacvinsky

6) Deadly Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock

7) Struck by Jennifer Bosworth

8) The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda

9) Until I Die by Amy Plum

10) Hollyweird by Terri Clark

11) Last Rite by Lisa Desrochers

May 10th

1) The Summer My Life Began by Shannon Greenland

May is an excellent month for books, don't you think? I've already read The Hunt (which I loved, despite the similarities with The Hunger Games) and The Summer My Life Began (which I didn't enjoy at all). I'm really looking forward to Deadly Hemlock, Struck and Hollyweird though! What books are you guys looking forward to? Struck, I bet! 

The Enemy by Charlie Higson

The Enemy by Charlie Higson
The Enemy #1
Release Date: May 11, 2010
Publisher: Hyperion
Rating: Enjoyable

They'll chase you. They'll rip you open. They'll feed on you...When the sickness came, 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?  - Goodreads

My uncle introduced me to zombies when I was just six years old, when we used to watch Dawn of the Dead and those old movies together. I've loved zombies ever since (well, after I realised that there weren't any waiting in the bathroom for me!) and I love that zombies have become a recurring theme in YA. This sounded like the perfect read for me.

This took me almost eight months to read, as it dragged on and on. The zombies didn't really feel like a threat in this book, and that was a little disappointing. I think that this is because the characters overpowered the zombies pretty easily, and not many characters died from zombie bites either.

I also didn't feel connected to the characters, which I think was caused by the constant switching of points of view.

That said, some of the action scenes were very well written, and the ending was great and made me want to read the rest of the series. There were some scenes involving cannibals and children, which was so, so awesome!

A Confusion of Princes by Garth Nix

A Confusion of Princes by Garth Nix
Release Date: May 17, 2012 (UK)
Publisher: HarperCollins
Rating: Bland

You’d think being a privileged Prince in a vast intergalactic Empire would be about as good as it gets. But it isn’t as great as it sounds. For one thing, Princes are always in danger. Their greatest threat? Other Princes. Khemri discovers that the moment he is proclaimed a Prince. He also discovers mysteries within the hidden workings of the Empire. Dispatched on a secret mission, Khemri comes across the ruins of a space battle. In the midst of it all he meets a young woman named Raine, who will challenge his view of the Empire, of Princes, and of himself. - Goodreads

I've never read anything by Garth Nix before but I had heard amazing things about his series for younger readers. I was really looking forward to this as the premise sounded really good (I'm loving the whole sci-fi trend!) but I was less than impressed.

The world building in this book was good, but it took over the whole novel. The book was one huge info dump up until page 150, when everything started picking up a little bit. Throughout the novel, major events were skimmed over which made the book shorter than it probably should have been.

A new character was introduced at around half way through, which started to make things interesting, however everything soon started being skimmed over again.

I didn't really care for any of the characters because they weren't developed enough. I didn't care whether they lived or died. As a result, I also didn't care for Khemri's relationship with a certain character either because it was dull and rushed.

Also, correct me if I am wrong, but the main character in the book is supposed to have dark skin (I'm not sure if he is black, Asian or some sort of mix), however the model on the cover is definitely not any of those things. Or perhaps he might be, but he is A LOT lighter than Khemri is described in the book. This annoys me, in case you can't tell.

Overall, I was really disappointed with this novel. The setting was fantastic, and I think it could have been really great considering the potential it had. Unfortunately, it was poorly executed and just plain boring.

Bella & Daph's Epic Review Month - Kickoff Post! #BandDERM

I'm a day late. I know, I know. But in my defence, my review of Insurgent was posted yesterday and I didn't want to hassle everyone with another post. That gets me off the hook, right?

Anyway, I'm taking part in this awesome event that I think you would all love to know about. It's hosted by Daph from Loving Books and Bella from Cheezyfeet Books. Both ladies are awesome, and have come up with this event to help us cut down our TBR piles in time for the FANTASTIC releases that are coming out this summer. They have linkies, so if you're thinking of taking part then make your own post and link it up!

I'm paraphrasing the stuff below from Daph's blog, because she puts it better than I could.

What the heck is this thing?
Bella & Daph's Epic Reading Month focuses on lowering your TBR piles. As long as you have books to read, you can participate! You don't need to read review books, but that's what I'll be doing, because my NetGalley TBR is out of control. (It's Daph's fault)

Wrap Up Your Reviews!
Every Friday there will be a wrap up post where you can link up your reviews. If you your review is going up on another week or month, you can link to your Goodreads or Shelfari review where you type a few bullet points to summarise. If you link up, then you'll be entered to win some fabulous prizes!

Readathons and Reviewathons!
The subtitle speaks for itself. Here are the dates:

May 11th - May 13th: Weekend Readathon


May 19th: Mini Readathon


May 26th & 27th: Reviewathon

I won't be able to take part in the mini readathon (I'll be too busy meeting the cast of Supernatural in Birmingham!) but I'll definitely be doing the other two!

There are also several other posts going up throughout the month. Subjects include tackling TBR piles, making time to read and more.

#BandDERM TBR List:

1. Unravelling by Elizabeth Norris Read!

2. Shooting Stars by Allison Rushby Read!

3. Advent by James Treadwell Read!

4. Slated by Teri Terry Read!

5. The Lost Code by Kevin Emerson DNF

6. Last Stop by Peter Lerangis (NG)

7. Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers (NG) Read!

8. The Obsidian Blade by Pete Hautman (NG) Read!

9. Shadows on the Mooon by Zoe Mariott (NG)

10. Exiled by J R Wagner (NG)

11. The Night She Disappeared by April Henry (NG) Read!

12. Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown (NG)

13. Everneath by Brodi Ashton (NG)

14. The 13th Horseman by Barry Hutchinson

Erm.. yeah. It's a lot. But if I read 17 books in January, I'm sure I can read 17 books this month, right? I mean, I'll have everyone in this event nagging me cheering me on!

If you want to take part, then do it! What's holding you back? You can use the #BandDERM hashtag on Twitter so it's easy to find other people who are participating. Go and check out Bella and Daph's blogs so you can link up! WOOP! GO TEAM!

Insurgent by Veronica Roth #EruditeUK

Insurgent by Veronica Roth
Divergent #2
Release Date: May 1, 2012
Publisher: Harper Collins Children's Books UK
Rating: Essential

One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth's much-anticipated second book of the dystopian Divergent series is another intoxicating thrill ride of a story, rich with hallmark twists, heartbreaks, romance, and powerful insights about human nature. Goodreads

I... am kind of speechless right now. I have no idea what to say, because I don't think I'm going to be able to express just how much I loved this book. Of course, this review isn't going to be helpful at all. I'm a failure of a reviewer, I know, I know.

If you've read Divergent (which I sincerely hope you have because, really, what are you waiting for otherwise?) then you'll remember that the majority of the book was set in the Dauntless compound with Tris training and undergoing her initiation into the faction. In Insurgent, the world has expanded and grown. We get to spend time either with or learning about all the other factions - Amity, Candor, Erudite and the factionless.

Insurgent is packed with action, it's literally non stop. You think there's going to be some down time, but then something blows up and the characters and story keep on going. This kept the book going at a fast, yet steady, pace.

Tris is quickly becoming one of my favourite heroines. She is a complete badass in this book! Even more so than in Divergent, and that's saying something. She was always trying to help others, and sort out this mess her world is in. She had struggles and I loved her for it. I was a little bit annoyed at how everyone always turned to her when things went wrong as if she was the most intelligent and as if she had the answers to everything. I think they forgot that she was just a teenager.

If you've been following me on Twitter or Goodreads, then you'll know that I did have a problem with one character. Four. I full on despised him in this book. He is so controlling that he borders on abusive. The way he treated Tris was disgusting, and he came across as a giant hypocrite. He did improve a little at the end, but he has A LOT of making up and apologising to do because I am so upset and disgusted by his behaviour. He even went as far as to give Tris an ultimatum at one point, and I wanted to smack him over the head. How DARE he?!

Other than Four, I loved every single thing about this book. Veronica Roth has gone all out in this sequel, and her efforts show. The ending was by far my favourite thing about this book. I can't say ANYTHING about it in case I give away spoilers, but it absolutely blew my mind and I've since reread the last few pages seven times. WHAT?! I'm DYING to read the third book now. I don't think I can go on for another year.

Divergent Trilogy:
1. Divergent
2. Insurgent
3. TBA