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Friday 31 January 2014

Books With Bite - Blogger Event 2014

http://www.bookswithbite.co.uk/

Hi Guys!  I just wanted to share with you my awesome fun filled day out in London at the Books With Bite Blogger event.


Now first off I will say how excited I was to be invited to this.  That excited I travelled across the country to attend.  After an hour and a half drive and then a two hour train ride I managed to meet up with two wonderful fellow bloggers, Dani @ Pen to Paper and Misty from Bookaholics Book Club.  It's so much more fun when you have company and company that can talk about books.

The three of us had a great time wandering round London before the event and we managed to visit Foyles and Watersone's Piccadilly.

After our gadabout round London it was time to attend the Books with Bite event. I had a lovely time meeting the team and also chatting with authors and fellow bloggers.  It was a great way to find out all about the newly revamped website, which if you haven't already checked it out you can find the link for it HERE.  The website is really good and showcases exciting YA books and so much much more.  I especially love the three apple design, you choose an apple based on whether you want to explore the Paranormal and Fantasy theme, Thriller and Sci-Fi theme or Contempory theme.

We also got to hear about the new and exciting titles that are coming up in 2014.  I really do want to read a lot of them, there are some that really shone out for me in the presentation and I am especially looking forward to Deep Blue by Jennifer Donnelly.  Just the book trailer alone makes me excited about this upcoming release.  I can see me being very busy reading this year.




After the presentation we got to mingle and speak to authors and chat about their books.

Me with Ruth Warburton and Laure from Book with Bite

I managed to chat with Ruth Warburton who I have previously met before.  Ruth is such a lovely person and if you haven't checked out her Winter trilogy I strongly urge you too.  I managed to snag a copy of Witchfinder which is the first book in her new series.  Again this is about witches, which I happen to love.  A little while on the blog I managed to get an author interview with Ruth, you can check it out HERE

I also talked to Catherine Fisher about her new book  The Box of Red Brocade, this is the 2nd book in the Chronoptika series.  I read and reviewed book one, The Obsidian Mirror last year here on Chocolate Chunky Munkie.  You can see the review Here .  I was really happy to hear that Catherine is pretty local to where I live.  We had a good chat about the surrounding area and of course about her books too.

I also chatted to Saci  Lloyd and asked her to sign her book Quantum Drop.  I am very excited about this book as it sounds excellent. 

Me with Teri Terry
I managed to have a chat with author Teri Terry about her Slated series.  I have to say that Slated was an amazing book, I cannot rave about it more.  You can check out my five star review for it HERE.  But last night I managed to get my hands on her new book Shattered, which is the third book in the Slated series.  I cannot wait to read this book!

The final author I chatted to was Robert Muchamore who is author to the Cherub series.  I managed to get his new book Rock War signed.  This sounds such a good book and I can't wait to get reading it.

I came away with a huge pile of books and a booklet with all the upcoming titles that are being released in 2014.


Here are the books I bagged for review:

 Witchfinder by Ruth Warburton
Quantum Drop by Saci Lloyd
The Moment Collector by Jodi Lynn Anderson
Tease by Amanda Maciel
Between the Lives by Jessica Shirvington  
Shattered by Teri Terry
Dead Silent by Sharon Jones
The Box of Red Brocade by Catherine Fisher
Pegasus and Flame by Kate O'Hearn
Meta Wars by Jeff Norton
Rock War by Robert Muchamore
Riot by Sarah Mussi

After such an enjoyable evening time seemed to just fly by, so it was a bit of a shock when the three of us, Dani, Misty and I had to run to catch our train.  As I said to Dani before we left I am built for comfort and not speed.  I am a reader, not a runner!  We literally had ten minutes to get from the event, up the road to the nearest tube station, catch the tube one stop and then fly up three high escalators at Euston Train Station.  And this is carrying two bags containing 12 books!  Well lets just say if a kind man hadn't helped me with my books and got me to the ticket barrier,  I would have missed the train.  I can honestly say after nearly having a heart attack and getting onto the train with no breath left in my body I will sadly be withdrawing my entry from the next Olympic Games.  I am no sprinter, but if there was an event for reading...... well I think I would definitely come away with a gold medal :)

Sunday 19 January 2014

***Review*** Fearsome Dreamer by Laure Eve


Fearsome Dreamer by Laure Eve

Released: 3rd October 2013
Publisher: Hotkey Books
Series: Yes, #1 in the Fearsome Dreamer series
Source: From Publisher
Format: ARC - Paperback
Find at: Goodreads | Amazon UK | The Book Depository

Author Site: Laure Eve

Many thanks to the Publisher for my review copy, this is in exchange for an honest review.

Goodreads Synopsis:

 There is a world where gods you’ve never heard of have wound themselves into hearts, and choice has led its history down a different path.

This is a world where France made a small, downtrodden island called England part of its vast and bloated empire.

There are people here who can cross a thousand miles with their minds. There are rarer people still who can move between continents in the blink of an eye.

These people are dangerous.

And wanted. Desperately wanted.

Apprentice hedgewitch Vela Rue knows that she is destined for more. She knows being whisked off from a dull country life to a city full of mystery and intrigue is meant to be. She knows she has something her government wants, a talent so rare and precious and new that they will do anything to train her in it.

But she doesn’t know that she is being lied to. She doesn’t know that the man teaching her about her talent is becoming obsessed by her, and considered by some to be the most dangerous man alive ...


My Review:

Highly entertaining and wacky.  This book is both charming and intriguing, rolled up together and you get a highly entertaining read. 

I could not wait to get my mitts on this highly anticipated  debut novel from the wonderful Laure Eve. I had to stroke the cover a few times and even my dog Hades had to have a look in too.





But anyway back to the review. I did enjoy this book and felt it was worth the wait.  I love witches, there are so many different types of books based on the magic and  fantasy world of witchcraft. Fearsome Dreamer is a unique and satisfying venture into this magical realm.

I loved the writing style, it was very clever and sometimes I had to re-read a few pages just to make sure I took all the detail in.  I think even a future re-read would open up a new level to this book.  I remember I had to do this for Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde, there were so many things I had missed first time round.

Vela Rue was a great main character, I definitely connected well with her and this I find  a must in a book.  If I don't connect or even care about the main character I may as well throw the book away.  But thankfully Vela got a gold star from me, I love spirit and grit.

I did get a bit blown away taking in all the detail of the two worlds, there is so much to absorb, hence the recommendation for the re-read.  And if I have to be a bit nit picky I would say I had to get through the first 30 pages to get into this book properly.  The start perhaps was a bit slow for me, but it did pick up pace afterwards.

I would definitely like to read the next book in the series.  Fearsome Dreamer has the thumbs up from Chocolate Chunky Munkie


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Overview:
If you enjoy high fantasy then I would recommend this book.  It's rammed full of detail.

My Thoughts on the Cover:
You have to see this in the flesh to appreciate the complexity of it.  It is very clever and I do like it.  I would be drawn to it in the bookshop.




Here are some other posts which feature Laure Eve and Fearsome Dreamer:


 

Sunday 5 January 2014

***Review*** Sky on Fire by Emmy Laybourne


Sky on Fire by Emmy Laybourne

Released: 7th November 2013
Publisher: Hodder Children's Books
Series: Yes #2 in the Monument 14 series
Source: ARC from Publisher
Format: Paperback
Find at: Goodreads | Amazon UK | The Book Depository

Author Site: Emmy Laybourne

Many thanks to the Publisher for my review copy, this is in exchange for an honest review.

Goodreads Synopsis:

 Trapped in a superstore by a series of escalating disasters, including a monster hailstorm and terrifying chemical weapons spill, brothers Dean and Alex learned how to survive and worked together with twelve other kids to build a refuge from the chaos. But then strangers appeared, destroying their fragile peace, and bringing both fresh disaster and a glimmer of hope.

Knowing that the chemical weapons saturating the air outside will turn him into a bloodthirsty rage monster, Dean decides to stay in the safety of the store with Astrid and some of the younger kids. But their sanctuary has already been breached once. . . .

Meanwhile, Alex, determined to find their parents, heads out into the darkness and devastation with Niko and some others in a recently repaired school bus. If they can get to Denver International Airport, they might be evacuated to safety. But the outside world is even worse than they expected. . 



My Review:

Normally I find that if I give the first book in the series a five star rating I'm a little hard on the second book.  Sometimes it doesn't always live up to amazingness of the first book, how wrong am I! Sky on Fire deserves the same praise as Monument 14.  I simply loved it.  There was the same level of tension that held me rapt, the characters are brilliant; such a mixed bunch.  

Top praise and I really cannot simply wait for another instalment in this series.  Bravo Emmy Laybourne you have simply created an amazing series.

I love post apocalyptic books and this series has to be my favourite so far.

If you haven't read Monument 14 get a copy now.  And then read it and scoot down to the book store and get Sky on Fire too, you will not be disappointed.


I'm really mean with 5 stars, but this one coasts in clear of the 5 star rating.

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Overview:
Amazing, tense and exciting.

My Thoughts on the cover:
This one is really spooky but it really does capture the essence of the book.  I love it and would definitely pick it up in the book store.


 



You can see my review of Monument 14 HERE

 
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