The Splendour Falls - Rosemary Clement-Moore

The Splendour Falls by Rosemary Clement-Moore was released on 4 Feb 2010 by Corgi Childrens and the book is 528 pages long.

Plot

Sylvia Davis used to be an amazing dancer. That was before she broke her leg doing a very simple move, a move that ended her career. Not only does she have a broken leg, he father is dead and her mother is about to get remarried. Nothing much is going right for her and it only gets worse when she gets drunk at the wedding. After running off to Central Park, she thinks she sees something strange going on but apparently it is only her that sees it. Maybe it was too much champagne and the pain killers or maybe she's going crazy.

As Sylvie's mum and new step dad go on their honeymoon, she is shipped off to stay with her real father's family in Alabama to a life that couldn't be further away from what she is used to. The heat immediately hits her as the plane touches the ground and instead of her cousin waiting to meet her, there is a very good looking boy called Rhys, who explains that Cousin Paula is waiting in the car for them both. Sylvie definitely likes the look of Rhys and cant believe that she's thinking about him in that way after only meeting him for a few minutes but she's going to have to get used to it because apparently he lives with Cousin Paula. The family estate is being turned into a B&B and Rhys and his dad are staying there, along with Paula's business partner and her daughter Addie.

Sylvie has never really known anything about her Dad's side of the family but when she arrives in Cahawba it seems like history is all around her. Everyone already knows who she is and seems extremely excited that she's there, which Sylvie finds really strange, especially when the most popular guy in town, Shawn, starts paying her a lot of attention. She can't deny that she's attracted to him but there is also something between her and Rhys. One of them seems too perfect and the other one is mysterious and secretive. Sylvie would love boy troubles to the biggest thing on her mind but she's also seeing and hearing things here, just like she did in Central Park. Is Sylvie about to lose her mind as well as everything else?

What I thought
Sylvie was a fantastic protagonist. Although this is more in the supernatural genre, there is a big deal about the romance in the story. Unlike a lot of other teenage girls in these kinds of books, she doesn't break down when she likes these two different guys and becomes a doormat. She doesn't do everything that they want her to and she doesn't back down when it comes to something she believes in. Sylvie is a very strong character, even when she thinks she is going crazy and she's determined to prove that what she is seeing is real. When Sylvie's dance career ends, she thinks her life has as well because she's put in so much time and effort but she realises that she has to find something else to do with her time and that's when she starts to work on the garden of the B&B.

Although Sylvie has two love interests, they don't really have that much time in the story. I would have liked to have seen her relationship with Rhys develop more because nothing really happened between them. Both of them know that the other is hiding something but is what the story concentrates on rather than how they feel about each other. I could tell that Shawn was the bad guy from the start because of his involvement with the TTC and especially when it was explained about his families connections with Sylvie's. Shawn was just a bit too perfect and that is normally too good to be true, as it was in this books.

The story moves at a nice pace most of the time although it does take a while to get to the answers that you'll want. Apart from Sylvie, you don't really get to know too much about the others characters as the main of the plot is about her family and the background but I thought this was really interesting. I loved the idea that everything that was happening to Sylvie was happening because of something that happened decades or centuries ago and was carried on throughout the years.

While I really liked this book, there was one thing that bugged me about it. Every now and again, a ? would turn up in the middle of a random word. I wouldn't have minded if it was a one off but it happened on at least 10 occasions. After the first one, this really stood out to me each time and made me want to put the book down. If I'm paying £6.99 for a book then I do not want it to be full of mistakes.

The Splendour Falls is a good book but it isn't great. There are small amounts of excitement at different times and it just wasn't enough for me. I thought that I would really like Rhys but his character wasn't developed enough to make me love him. Not a bad buy if you can pick it up as part of an offer.

Wondrous Strange - Lesley Livingston

Wondrous Strange is the debut novel by Lesley Livingston. It was released on January 13th 2009 by Harper Teen and it is 352 pages long.

Plot
Actress, Kelley Winslow moved to New York City all on her own to pursue her dreams. She had a bit of a rough time at stage school and isn't doing much better out in the real world but she's managed to get a job as the understudy for the main female role in A Midsummer Night's Dream. That generally means that she is a stagehand. On the day that the book starts, the main actress has an accident and Kelley has to step up to really be in the play. The only problem is, she isn't very good once she gets on stage. Feeling a bit blue after her first rehearsal, she heads off to Central Park where Sonny hears her rehearsing her lines. Instantly taken by the words she speaks, he's drawn to her. Seeing the sad look on her face, he gives her a flower to try to cheer her up and then disappears.

As it got late in the park, Kelley hears a scream near the lake. She runs off towards the noise and sees a horse in the water, drowning. Not caring about the cold, she dives in and after a lot of struggling, she manages to pull it to safety and after blacking out, heads home. When she gets there though, she finds that she has an unexpected house guest. The horse has somehow followed her home and got comfortable in the bath tub, which freaks out both her and roommate, Tyff.

Sonny isn't exactly human. He is a guard of the gates in Central Park that lead to another world. The faerie world. Every 9 years, the gates begin to open and faerie from the other world begin to come through and it is Sonny's job, along with 12 other guards, to stop anyone coming through. Ever since he saw Kelley, he can't get her out of his head and when the Faerie King pays him a visit, he finds out a huge secret. Something that could ruin him, Kelley and both worlds.

What I thought
The story is written in the third person which was a nice change as most of the books I've read recently have been in the first person. I prefer reading books written this way because it makes it possible to know what is happening from all sides, without having different chapters dedicated to one character. Although the story does flit from Kelley and Sonny, it is blended together really well so that their stories eventually come together as one.

Livingston is very descriptive when it comes to the range of different characters and faerie folk that are involved in this story. Other books in this genre that I have read have generally one really had one baddie but this one had a lot. There are different sides and allegiances in the faerie realm and Livingston made a point of involving these to make the story more interesting and exciting. Sonny explains that different creatures do different things and that they have different purposes and I really liked this aspect of the book. It made it much easier to connect with the different worlds and why certain things happen, making me feel like I was really there.

No time is wasted in getting to the action as quite early on, Kelley saves the horse from the water, although it turns out that it isn't actually a horse. This part of the story was really funny and it made me laugh out loud. Both Kelley and Tyff are totally freaked out by what is going on and have no idea what to do about it, considering that the horse isn't moving an inch. There are quite a few fight scenes throughout, caused mainly by the nature of Sonny's job. He has to protect the human world from the faeries, which results in killing a lot of them, no matter what kind they are.

This book had everything that I could have wished for; exceptionally written characters, an interesting plot and it was written wonderfully. Everything about the way the story is written is magical and captivating that you just cannot help wanting to know more. I thought that the use of Shakespeare and A Midsummer Night's dream fit perfectly, considering that the characters from the play had been intertwined with the actual story. There were quite a few things that I really didn't see coming in Wondrous Strange but I don't want to mention what they were because it will only make you look out for them as you read the book. After looking up the next book in the trilogy, Darklight, I found that Kelley will be in the play Romeo and Juliet so I think that this will be a running theme throughout the trilogy which I am really excited about.

Kelley was one of the best protagonists that I had read about for quite a while. She is the complete opposite of everything that I normally read in a heroine and why I normally hate them. Kelley is written very much like a normal teenager, freaking out about normal things that any other girl would. The fact that she doesn't immediately bow down to Sonny was fantastic. Kelley isn't afraid to say how she feels, even if that means laughing in Sonny's face and telling him to leave her alone. She doesn't believe Sonny when he tells her about faeries and pretty much thinks that he is a crazy stalker. What I loved most about her was that fact that she wasn't perfect or absolutely stunning. Kelley has flaws like everyone else and this made her really easy to relate to.

Sonny was a really interesting hero. He isn't exactly human and he isn't exactly faerie. From the minute he sees Kelley, he knows that there is something special about her. He becomes very protective of Kelley and it seems that he will go to any length to keep her safe, even if that means ruining his own life. He doesn't think that he is able to love but it all comes too easily to him when it comes to Kelley. Sonny is a protector of Earth, stopping anything from the other world coming in and although it doesn't seem like he is the best fighter at times, you can see how hard he tries because he doesn't want to let anyone down.

I can't believe that I didn't want to read this book to begin with. I loved every word of it and the only thing that makes it better is the fact that it will be a part of a trilogy and I will get to follow Kelley and Sonny in their journey. I can only hope that some of my favourite minor characters will come back as well. If you haven't read anything like this before, especially a faerie story, then this is the one to begin with. It will definitely get you hooked.

Tempted (House of Night #6) - P.C. and Kristin Cast

Tempted is the sixth book in the House of Night series by mother and daughter duo, PC and Kristin Cast. It is published by Atom Books and is 336 pages long.

Books in the series:
1.Marked
2.Betrayed
3.Chosen
4.Untamed
5.Hunted
6.Tempted
7.Burned
8.Awakened
9.Released 2011
10.Released 2011

For more information regarding the House of Night series, you can go to http://www.houseofnightseries.com/

The website has a lot of interesting features like leaning all about your favourite characters and creating your own vampyre tattoo (if you want to make believe a little bit). After reading the first book, I had a good look around the website and I think it's a nice companion to the series.

What has happened so far
Zoey Redbird recently got marked by a Tracker, meaning that she had to move to the House of Night in order to maybe become a vampyre. If she doesn't die first. Zoey is unlike any of the other fledglings though. She has been extremely blessed by the Goddess Nyx who gave her powers that she never expected. Zoey can has an affinity for all five elements: Earth, Air, Water, Fire and Spirit.

Zoey has her faithful friends, Stevie Rae, Shaunee, Erin, Damien and Jack to help her out. Zoey has had an array of guys on the go; human Heath, hot and talented Erik and teacher Loren the poet. Football players from Zoey's old school went missing and were murdered so she had to save Heath before he was killed as well. After best friend Stevie Rae died and came back as something else, a red fledgling who turned into a full vampyre. Neferet turned evil and reawakened an evil immortal called Kalona who took over the school with her but Zoey managed to banish them for a little while. New guy Stark pledged himself and Zoey's warrior after she saved him from himself.

Tempted
After banishing Neferet and Kalona, Zoey and her friends must figure out how to get rid of them both once and for all but things are far from simple. Neferet and Kalona are seeking help from the highest place possible, the Vampyre High Council and Kalona seems to be convincing them to follow his ways.

Everyone seems to be pulling together to find a way out of the current problem but Stevie Rae is keeping something from Zoey but what isn't she sharing? Zoey may have gotten around a couple of Aphrodite's visions but the most recent is one that could mark the end of the world. Zoey's boy troubles are extremely out of control this time as her past forces her to feel drawn towards Kalona as well as being imprinted with Heath and having Stark has her warrior.

Of course, it isn't going to be easy to kill an immortal fallen angel, even for the 'Nerd Herd'!

What I thought
Again, the events of this book are only set over a couple of days but this is something that I really like about the series. So much is packed into such a short space of time that there is never really any time to get bored with the story. There are a lot of conversations between characters but they are mixed in so well with the action and excitement that I was never annoyed by this. To begin with, I thought that maybe this would overpower the story in places but it only enhances it.

Knowing that Neferet has gone over to the bad side with Kalona, I was hoping for a little more actual action in this book. The war has been coming for a while now but nothing has actually happened yet. I thought that this was going to be the book full of fighting and magical happenings but unfortunately, it wasn't. That doesn't mean that there isn't a lot going on though because there is, just not in the way that I wanted. Although I was slightly disappointed with this aspect of the book, I still loved it and how the story is progressing.

Tempted is the first book in the series that is not solely told from Zoey's point of view. When I got to chapter 2 and found that it was going to be told by Stevie Rae, I wasn't sure what to think about this new idea as so many others do this in their books. In the other 5 books I had really liked that it was only told from Zoey's point of view. Rephaim, Heath, Stark and Aphrodite also get their own voice in Tempted but when I reached each characters own chapters, I realise that the story had needed to be written this way in order to really know what was happening. This format made it possible for me to find out what was going on behind the scenes and put all of the little pieces together to figure things out.

Zoey has a lot of doubt in herself this time around. There is very little of the determined and strong Zoey that I have grown to love over the series but I think changing her was justified enough. One of her biggest problems about facing Kalona is the fact that she knows of her past but also what she is right now. Zoey is still only a fledgling, not a full vampyre, even though she is acting as High Priestess. She knows that she isn't strong enough to conquer evil this time around, which is where her doubts come from. Although Zoey has never been full of herself, it was good to see her really realise that she cant do everything, no matter what her friends think she is capable of.

Finally, we get to see a different setting in Tempted as the gang go to Italy to meet with the Vampyre High Council and address the problem of Kalona and Neferet. I did find it a little bit silly when the private jet came into play but that was mainly because I had never really thought about how much money the House of Night really had. I would have liked to have seen a bit more interaction from the council members and to learn a little bit more about them but maybe this will happen in the next book, considering the outcomes of Tempted.

The ending came as a complete shock to me and I don't think that I would have seen it coming in a million years. A word of warning though, DO NOT read the synopsis for book 7 in the series before you have finished this one as there are major spoilers. This is the only book in the series with a real cliff-hanger. Some pretty bad things have happened towards the ends of the other books but they were nothing like this. As I read the last chapter, I gasped and shouted at the book because I just couldn't believe what was happening. Tempted left me speechless and unable to think because the ending was that good. I am so desperate to get my hands on the 7th book but I refuse to buy it until it is out in paperback so it doesn't look out of place.

Each book in this series gets better than the last which makes me wonder about how utterly fantastic Burned is going to be. I know I'll be buying it as soon as it comes out in paperback!

Halloween Night Out

Ok so I know Halloween has been and gone (as well as Bonfire Night) but I promised that I would post pictures of the insane night that was Zombie Night! I know I have told a few of you that it was a pretty insane night, not getting in until stupid o'clock and also drinking WAY too much so you will have to excuse the state of us in some of the pics.

Kate and her boyfriend Si before and during getting ready.

Kate, Si and Cat

Me, Ben and Laura

Terrible group photos

Looking terrible again

Me and Kate

For my zombie look I decided to be a bit Victorianish or something along those lines. I just wanted to wear something with lace on it to be honest. My top got ran over with a car, splattered in blood, black face paint and then slashed with a knife. Attractive huh? Everyone apart from Ben piled round to my place before going out for pre drinks and for me to help with the make up. I am far from fantastic or trained but I used to do make up for weddings so they all wanted me to have a go. I did both Kate and Si's make up and my own of course but I was actually so impressed with myself. Si ended up with a head wound which looked pretty grewsome and some terrible black eyes. Kate had a gunshot wound in her neck and some very hollow looking eyes. Me...well I just looked awful I think. I had a head would, mouldy rotten arms and a gunshot wound in my chest. There was blood and a mixture of colours all over me and everytime I moved it seemed to spread. Can you imagine what I looked like at the end of the night? I'm glad I was too drunk to see it.

So there we go! I left out the ones where I look far too drunk for my own good though but that's me as a zombie! It took me a good 3 hours to look that terrible which I wasn't very impressed with as it takes me less time to get ready for a normal night out.

What do you all think of my zombie look??

National Non Fiction Day

Today is National Non-Fiction day in the UK so the lovely people at Usborne sent me something to review. I hate cooking and baking so wanted a fun book to make it a little more enjoyable.

When I was looking through the Usborne Non-Fiction books, this one instantly stood out to me. What girl wouldn't want to make Fairy Christmas cakes and cookies?! I don't care that I'm 24, I still thought that this looked like lots of fun.

If I had been at home instead of my flat in Nottingham, I would have been working my way through the book with my sister as she likes things like this as much as I do. In my sisters' place, my flatmates Aaron and Lauren decided to give me a hand.


Some of the different items that this book shows you how to make are:

Snowball Truffles
Mini Raspberry Swirls
Snowflake Biscuits
Jewelled Fairy Muffins
Christmas Fairy Kisses
Iced Fairy Crowns
Snow Cloud Meringues
Frosty Fairy Fudge
Christmas Castle Cake

For each different item, the book gives clear and easy to follow instructions, along with a set of ingredients you will need and how many can be made out of them. Even though children will be following the instructions and baking with someone supervising them, the instructions are made simple enough that children should be able to follow them.


As you can see from the pictures above, each page is brightly colours and filled with pictures of whatever it is you are making at the time. I really liked being able to see what the end product should look like and how pretty they can be made. We made Iced Fairy Crowns and although they didn't look exactly like the pictures, they were close enough.


I really wish that I could show you all pictures of what we made but the baking kind of made us hungry. We let the biscuits cool down and then iced them with pink and white to make them look pretty but then as soon as they were done, we ate them all. They did taste really good though and because of that, I would happily make anything out of this book now.
Thanks so much to Usborne for sending me this book to review for National Non-Fiction Day. The flatmates and I had a lot of fun making extremely cute biscuits and are looking forward to working through the other recipies.

Book of the month - October

I read so many fantastic books last month that I've had to have a couple of days to think about which I was going to choose as the best. It was such a tough decision but I finally decided to go with

Angel by L.A. Weatherly

Angel was something completely different to everything else I have read this year and brought a whole new take on Angels to the table. Willow and Alex have a fantastic story and I can't wait to find out what happens next.


L.A Weatherly has recently been touring and doing signings all over the country. I'm going to a signing in Leeds in December with Rhiana_Reads and I can't tell you how excited I am.

You can find my review here!

I also thought I'd show you all the trailer for Angel so if you haven't read it yet, you can get an idea of what the story is about. Enjoy!!

Waiting on Wednesday (#20)

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Marie-Louise Jensen - Sigrun's Secret
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Release Date: 11th January 2011

Synopsis:
'Their garments are black as night. They carry torches in their hands, darkness and anger in their hearts. They are coming.'

When a dark family secret is exposed, Sigrun's peaceful life is shattered. Forced to pay for her parents' misdeeds, she finds herself exiled from all she knows - and from the boy she loves - for three long years. Yet more secrets lie ahead; not least the power Sigrun finds awakening in herself, seemingly passed to her from a mysterious amulet. Can she use her new-found gift to save herself and those around her from the dangers they face? And will true love wait until her return?


After going to an OUP event last week and looking through their upcoming releases booklet, this was the one that instantly stood out to me and I can't wait for its release date now!!