Tuesday 25 August 2015

Book Review: Emmy & Oliver by Robin Benway


Publisher: HarperTeen

Published: June 2015

Pages: 352


Summary


Emmy's best friend, Oliver, reappears after being kidnapped by his father ten years ago. Emmy hopes to pick up their relationship right where it left off. Are they destined to be together? Or has fate irreparably driven them apart?

Emmy just wants to be in charge of her own life. She wants to stay out late, surf her favourite beach - go anywhere without her parents' relentless worrying. But Emmy's parents can't seem to let her grow up - not since the day Oliver disappeared. Oliver needs a moment to figure out his heart. He'd thought, all these years, that his dad was the good guy. He never knew that it was his father who kidnapped him and kept him on the run. Discovering it, and finding himself returned to his old hometown, all at once, has his heart racing and his thoughts swirling. Emmy and Oliver were going to be best friends forever, or maybe even more, before their futures were ripped apart. In Emmy's soul, despite the space and time between them, their connection has never been severed. But is their story still written in the stars? Or are their hearts like the pieces of two different puzzles - impossible to fit together?

Thursday 20 August 2015

Book Review: Uprooted by Naomi Novik

I won a copy of this book as part of a giveaway hosted by Mel @ The Daily Prophecy. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.

Publisher: Macmillan

Published: May 2015

Pages: 437


Summary


Agnieszka loves her valley home, her quiet village, the forests and the bright shining river. But the corrupted Wood stands on the border, full of malevolent power, and its shadow lies over her life. Her people rely on the cold, ambitious wizard, known only as the Dragon, to keep the wood's powers at bay. But he demands a terrible price for his help: one young woman must be handed over to serve him for ten years, a fate almost as terrible as being lost to the Wood. The next choosing is fast approaching, and Agnieszka is afraid. She knows - everyone knows - that the Dragon will take Kasia: beautiful, graceful, brave Kasia - all the things Agnieszka isn't - and her dearest friend in the world. And there is no way to save her. But no one can predict how or why the Dragon chooses a girl. And when he comes, it is not Kasia he will take with him.


Friday 14 August 2015

ARC Book Review: The Book of Speculation by Erika Swyler

I received an e-arc of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Published: June 2015

Pages: 339


Summary


Simon Watson, a young librarian, lives alone on the Long Island Sound in his family home, a house perched on the edge of a cliff that is slowly crumbling into the sea. His parents are long dead, his mother having drowned in the water his house overlooks. One day, Simon receives a mysterious book from an antiquarian bookseller; it has been sent to him because it is inscribed with the name Verona Bonn, Simon's grandmother. Simon must unlock the mysteries of the book, and decode his family history, before fate deals its next deadly hand. The Book of Speculation is Erika Swyler's gorgeous and moving debut, a wondrous novel about the power of books, family and magic.

Friday 7 August 2015

Book Review: Veronica Mars: The Thousand Dollar Tan Line by Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham

Publisher: Vintage Books

Published: March 2014

Pages: 336

Series: Veronica Mars #1


Summary


Ten years after graduating from high school in Neptune, California, Veronica Mars is back in the land of sun, sand, crime, and corruption. She's traded in her law degree for her old private investigating license, struggling to keep Mars Investigations afloat on the scant cash earned by catching cheating spouses until she can score her first big case. Now it's spring break, and college students descend on Neptune, transforming the beaches and boardwalks into a frenzied, week-long rave. When a girl disappears from a party, Veronica is called in to investigate. But this is not a simple missing person's case. The house the girl vanished from belongs to a man with serious criminal ties, and soon Veronica is plunged into a dangerous underworld of drugs and organized crime. And when a major break in the investigation has a shocking connection to Veronica's past, the case hits closer to home than she ever imagined.

Saturday 1 August 2015

Stacking the Shelves (Aug 1)


Stacking the Shelves is all about the books we are adding to our shelves, physical or virtual, and sharing our excitement about our new titles. And why not, maybe also finding a great new read in the process! This weekly meme is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

I know it's something you're probably going to hear everywhere now, but I can't believe it's August already! I swear this year time is moving faster than usual... So, what's been happening in my life? I've now officially started in my new job, and that's been keeping me pretty busy, but still, I love it! Coupled with the incredible heat we've been experiencing, my hectic schedule has made it pretty difficult for me to do a lot of reading and reviewing. So that's why things have been a little slow around here, and also why I've decided to temporarily suspend all review requests until I've settled into the new schedule. I'll still review all the books I've already received, although it may take me a while longer than I initially thought and I hope to get back in full swing soon!