Cover: Frostbite Graphic Novel

While I wait for my IMM video to process - and believe me, I've been waiting a LONG time - I was casually looking through some Facebook pages, forums and the like. I was directed to Emma Vicieli's DeviantArt page and I found THIS, along with other previews from the book.

Have you all seen this before, and I'm really late in finding it? I cannot express how much I LOVE this cover! It says (quite clearly) that the cover is not final, but this is FANTASTIC and I love it. Mainly because Christian is on the front. And the Strigoi look like ninjas.

What do you all think of it? Have you guys read the Vampire Academy graphic novel yet? I believe that the Frostbite graphic novel is coming out in May of this year. I CAN'T WAIT!

Night School by C J Daugherty

Night School by C J Daugherty
Night School #1
Release Date: January 5, 2012
Publisher: ATOM
Source: Publisher
Rating: Enjoyable

Allie Sheridan's world is falling apart. She hates her school. Her brother has run away from home. And she's just been arrested.

Again.

This time her parents have finally had enough. They cut her off from her friends and send her away to a boarding school for problem teenagers.

But Cimmeria Academy is no ordinary school. Its rules are strangely archaic. It allows no computers or phones. Its students are an odd mixture of the gifted, the tough and the privileged. And then there's the secretive Night School, whose activities other students are forbidden even to watch.

When Allie is attacked one night the incident sets off a chain of events leading to the violent death of a girl at the summer ball. As the school begins to seem like a very dangerous place, Allie must learn who she can trust. And what's really going on at Cimmeria Academy. - Goodreads

 Night School was a bit slow to begin with, and that meant that it took a while to get into the story and to start enjoying it. The first one hundred or so pages dragged a little bit, as there wasn’t much action and I was introduced to Allie’s new school and new life.

There were lots if mysteries that were introduced right at the very beginning of the novel, and these weren’t solved until the very end of the book, if at all. It was good as it left a lot of room for the sequels, but I thought that the unravelling of them could have been spread out a little bit more. Again, this is a pacing problem.

I LOVE books set in boarding schools! So the setting was absolutely perfect, and this boarding school was old fashioned, with secret passages. Perfection!

The ending of the novel was simply brilliant, with tonnes of action thrown in there. I loved it, and it definitely made the book better overall.

I wasn’t a huge fan of Allie to begin with as she did some stupid things. She did become a stronger character towards the end, and I hope to see more development in the rest of the series.

Carter, one of the love interests, is pretty cool. I didn’t like the way he was portrayed, as it was very stereotypical, but as Allie got to know him, he grew on me.

As for Sylvain... Well, can somebody please tell me how to pronounce his name? I’m too lazy to look it up, and I was calling him about five different names by the end of the novel. I didn’t like Sylvain one bit, and I hope nothing happens between him and Allie in the future.

I enjoyed the writing style; I think Daugherty did a really good job with describing the story. The only complaint I do have is that the dialogue, at times, was a bit wooden.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I did have some issues, but it was all together a solid start to a new series. I will be picking up the next book, because I am intrigued! 

Buy the book here: 

Another Cover Reveal: City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

*le gasp* What do you all think? I like it. There are no creepy green eyes in this one. I'm surprised that they didn't chop half of Jace's face off like they did with Simon's on the COFA cover.

Let me know your thoughts on this! It's very different to any of the other covers.

Cover Reveal: Insurgent by Veronica Roth (Divergent #2)

This is the UK cover for Insurgent! What do you guys think? Personally, I love the US cover, but this one is also really pretty. I love the purples, and the burning leaves! I also love that the girl - who I'm assuming is meant to be Tris - is standing over a seemingly barren wasteland with just a long road ahead of her. 

There is also going to be a new cover for the first book in the trilogy, Divergent, so that the covers match nicely. I also like this one, although Tris' face looks slightly demonic. Or is that just me? 

You can find both books here: 

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Cinder by Marissa Meyer
The Lunar Chronicles #1
Release Date: January 5, 2012 (UK)
Publisher: Puffin
Source: Publisher
Rating: Essential

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

In this thrilling debut young adult novel, the first of a quartet, Marissa Meyer introduces readers to an unforgettable heroine and a masterfully crafted new world that’s enthralling. - Goodreads

My favourite part of Cinder was the world that Meyer has created to tell this fascinating story. The history of this futuristic universe is rich and thoroughly developed, which makes the sci-fi completely believable. The historical aspect of the novels was introduced by being woven into the story, and didn’t feel out of place or forced.

The links to the fairytale of Cinderella were prominent, and yet they were not over the top. Cinder lives with her wicked stepmother and her two stepsisters. She has to work as an engineer to feed the whole family, while her stepmother spends her hard earned money on luxurious items. The prince is also present throughout, and we even have a mouse like in the Disney movie (kind of).

I was very intrigued by the Lunar colony, and I enjoyed reading about how those people were living. I loved their evil yet beautiful queen, and I cannot wait to see what happens with her in the next books in the series because she’s a fantastic antagonist – and also pretty scary!

Cinder was a brilliant female lead. She was strong, reliable, and she doesn’t give up. She’s also able to look after herself, which is a great quality to have. She doesn’t rely on her stepmother, or anybody else, which also adds a lot to her story. Cinder tries to hide her situation - or her cyborg-ness - from Prince Kai, and I was holding my breath waiting for him to find out about her. I felt so much love for this character, and I would have hated for her to get hurt because society doesn't accept cyborgs like her.

I wasn’t too fond of the love interest, Prince Kai, because I didn’t feel as though he was as well developed in comparison to Cinder. This left me a little bit disappointed, although that is probably because as a reader I was spoilt with the awesome Cinder, and I had very high expectations. Nevertheless, Kai is still pretty awesome, and it was really interesting when I had the chance to read from his point of view.

I absolutely cannot wait for the sequel to this novel. I look forward to seeing what Marissa Meyer can do next with both Cinder, and the other fairytales that are going to be woven into the upcoming stories. I’m dying to know where Meyer will take us next. She is a brilliant writer and I would recommend this book to everyone!

Books in this series: 

0.5. Glitches

1. Cinder 

2. Scarlet (Little Red Riding Hood) [2013]

3. Cress (Rapunzel) [2014]

4. Winter (Snow White) [2015]

Buy the book here: