The Name of the Star

Review Time! Been a little MIA this week mostly due to upcoming exams – after I post this review I’m back to my rock to study, study, and study! The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson is a fairly recent release and I was lucky enough to be sent a copy from HarperCollins Australia (thanks!). Read on for my thoughts…

(Goodreads) The day Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux arrives in London marks a memorable occasion. For Rory, it's the start of a new life at a London boarding school. But for many, this will be remembered as the day a series of brutal murders broke out across the city, gruesome crimes mimicking the horrific Jack the Ripper events of more than a century ago.


Soon “Rippermania” takes hold of modern-day London, and the police are left with few leads and no witnesses. Except one. Rory spotted the man police believe to be the prime suspect. But she is the only one who saw him. Even her roommate, who was walking with her at the time, didn't notice the mysterious man. So why can only Rory see him? And more urgently, why has Rory become his next target? In this edge-of-your-seat thriller, full of suspense, humor, and romance, Rory will learn the truth about the secret ghost police of London and discover her own shocking abilities.
 
The Short Story? – There is something in this novel for everyone. Something for the romance lovers, something for the mystery lovers, something for the paranormal lovers – it covers such a wide range of genres! Dark, twisted and engrossing, The Name of the Star is an unputdownable page-turner! A plot that will leave you in shivers, a mystery that will do your mind in and a romance that will make you swoon. It’s a keeper!

The Long Story? – I was really excited to read this one but somehow I misinterpreted it. I thought it was going to be a historical fiction that was going to take us back to 1888 where Jack the Ripper first became known. It’s actually set in the 21st century and someone has taken it to themselves to recreate the horrors of 1888. Absolutely spectacular, a little bit twisted but deliciously dark and sinister, it’s not like anything else I’ve read. Johnson has created this intense and dramatic atmosphere that bounds readers to the edge of their seat. A heart-pounding, kickass plot! The concept behind the novel is also very clever! The Name of the Star kept up way past my bedtime, a gripping new paranormal thriller that’s bound to be enjoyed by all!

Aurora – Rory – our protagonist is an American teen studying in England. It wasn’t a like at first read, at the start I actually thought she was a little loud and annoying but I eventually grew to really like her. She’s strong and she’s clearly loyal to her friends. I’m still not quite sure what she physically looks like but she’s a character with an interesting personality and a great sense of humor. Jeremy is the love interest and he’s really sweet but he doesn’t play a big part in the novel like most love attractions, another reason why I really liked this book – it’s a kickass heroine with NO boyfriend sidekick. Some really great secondary characters, one of my favourite would be “New Jack the Ripper” a very interesting (but sick) person ;)

Johnson takes us into the heart of one of History’s biggest murder mystery. A heart-pounding murder mystery with a clever paranormal twist. A heroine that’s both loyal and funny, a plot that’s deliciously dark and a relentless murderer on the loose. The Name of the Star is a sinister YA that will sate your craving for a good book! A spectacular new release that’s for readers of all ages!

Rating – 5/5


Badass Bookie xx

Born at Midnight

Review Time! Just wanted to say a big thank-you to everyone, I just reached 1100 and I 'm so psyched - no seriously I'm so happy! Born at Midnight is a 2011 YA Debut written by C. C. Hunter. This one has been on my radar for months! Thanks to Pan Macmillan for the review copy!

(Goodreads) One night Kylie Galen finds herself at the wrong party, with the wrong people, and it changes her life forever. Her mother ships her off to Shadow Falls—a camp for troubled teens, and within hours of arriving, it becomes painfully clear that her fellow campers aren’t just “troubled.” Here at Shadow Falls, vampires, werewolves, shapshifters, witches and fairies train side by side—learning to harness their powers, control their magic and live in the normal world.



Kylie’s never felt normal, but surely she doesn’t belong here with a bunch of paranormal freaks either. Or does she? They insist Kylie is one of them, and that she was brought here for a reason. As if life wasn’t complicated enough, enter Derek and Lucas. Derek’s a half-fae who’s determined to be her boyfriend, and Lucas is a smokin’ hot werewolf with whom Kylie shares a secret past. Both Derek and Lucas couldn’t be more different, but they both have a powerful hold on her heart.

Even though Kylie feels deeply uncertain about everything, one thing is becoming painfully clear—Shadow Falls is exactly where she belongs…


The Short Story? - Fantastic debut! If you're like me, a lover of everything paranormal and in search of a great romance - this one is for you! A very clever and highly entertaining YA novel with a interesting and complex romance. Full of drama, hot guys and tension. Comfortable and easy to read, definitely one worth checking out!

The Long Story? - It has a love triangle, just putting it out there. I'm not a fan and neither are alot of you but take it from a anti-love tranglist, I actually thought this wasn't so bad. Firstly, without the love triangle I don't think the novel would have been as interesting because while there is a bit of action it's more of a easing readers into the ideas of supernatural kind of book. Secondly, it's quite a balanced love triangle. The novel isn't swaying me to one guy or the other which is good because I want to get to know them before I judge! The plot itself was quite steady, nothing really BIG happens. There is no showdown, it's almost like a contemporary, very much of a emotional "finding yourself" plot with a paranormal touch!

I've already mentioned the love-triangle so now I'll introduce you to the people. I quite like the characters, they were entertaining and very funny! Kylie was likable character and a excellent protagonist. She's had all these bad things happen to her and yet she stills strong, even through denial that she is anything but human. Lucas, is your cliched bad boy but he's so sweet ( once you get to know him) that you can't fall in love with him! Derek is the good guy who is always there for Kylie. He's also a sweetie and it's just so hard to chose between the two. They're both so different yet the same :P

For lovers of YA paranormal with a complex and well done romance. Born at Midnight is a remarkable debut that deals with issues teenagers face daily with a paranormal twist. Unput-downable and engrossing, I can't wait to read the sequel. Anther extraordinary debut waiting to be read!

Rating - 5/5

Badass Bookie xx

In My Mailbox #36

Morning Lovlies! Seems like I'm (kind of) a early bird this morning :) :) :) It's not even 9 in the morning yet! Haha! In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren. Basically we just share the bookish contents of our mailbox! It's a load of fun and a great way to find new books so go participate!

I'm too lazy to do IMM every week so I only participate every second week :)

My Book Hurl for the Last Two Weeks -

For Review -

Exile by Jakob Ejersbo

Equinox by Lara Morgan

Stay with Me by Paul Griffin

Between by Jessica Warman

Bleeding Hearts by Alyxandra Harvey

ARC Drink Slay Love by Sarah Beth Durst

Audition by Stastia Ward Kehoe

Reckoning by Lili. St Crow

( Thanks so Pan Macmillan, Walker Books, Text Publishing, Hardi Grant, Bloomsbury, Allen and Unwin and Penguin! xoxoxoxoxo)

Won -

Hades by Alexandra Adornetto

Fateful by Claudia Gray

( Thanks to Lisa ( hehe) <--- My fellow aussie blogger!)

That's all!

Badass Bookie xx

Beautiful Days

Review time! Beautiful Days is the sequel to Bright Young Things by Anna Godberson, the New York Times bestselling author of The Luxe series. She “specializes” in historical fiction for girls, I love her novels because they’re always glamorous! Thanks to Penguin for the review copy!

(Goodreads) For the bright young things of 1929, the beautiful days seem endless, filled with romance and heartbreak, adventure and intrigue, friendship and rivalry.

After a month in New York, Cordelia Grey and Letty Larkspur are small-town girls no longer. They spend their afternoons with Astrid Donal at the Greys’ lush Long Island estate and their nights in Manhattan’s bustling metropolis. But Letty’s not content to be a mere socialite. She is ready at last to chase her Broadway dreams—no matter the cost.

Cordelia is still reeling from the death of her father at the hands of Thom Hale, the man she thought she loved. Now she is set to honor Darius Grey’s legacy . . . and take her revenge. Promised to Cordelia’s half brother, Astrid is caught up in aworld of dazzling jewels and glittering nights—and the sparkle is blinding. Charlie Grey is a gangster playing a dangerous game; and for Astrid, Cordelia, and Letty, the stakes could be deadly.

The Short Story? – Glamorous and addictive, set in the era of the roaring twenties, Beautiful Days is a highly entertaining historical fiction that’s bound to captivate your hearts. A novel about the ambitious and glamorous lives of three best friends, Beautiful Days is not to disappoint! Gossip Girl set in the glamorous twenties!

The Long Story? – I’m in love with this series! If you have read The Luxe by Godberson you would know that it’s historical fiction about the rich and young. It’s about social classes and the scandals of the beautiful and privileged. Beautiful Days is more or less along the same lines, it’s about the rich and beautiful but it’s got this extra sparkle that only a story set in roaring twenties would have. Glamorous and dazzling, I loved the plot! Filled with exciting and luxuries parties, young love and ambition to be famous. It’s highly entertaining and worth every cent! I can’t imagine anyone who wouldn’t enjoy this novel! Fantastic!

The novel is told from the perspectives of three best friends, each with ambition to be someone in the era of glamour. My favourite characters of all would be Cordelia, the heiress to a bootlegging business. She’s filled with confidence, she funny and she’s considerate. More than anything she can support herself and make her own decisions. Her sweetheart Max, a talented pilot is irresistible! Letty would be my least favorite character. I’m a little annoyed at her dependent, self-pitying nature and I honestly don’t know how anyone can stand her! She’s living off Cordelia’s generosity and she wants to be famous yet she’s sitting around waiting! By the end of the novel, she seems to grow confident and she’s (kind of) growing on me so I’ll wait to judge :) Astrid is the poster child for rich and privileged. For her it’s all about flirting, glamorous parties and pretty dresses but she’s also furiously loyal and very kind. These three girls are going to grow on you, great development.

If you love novels about the rich, young and beautiful. If you’re looking for a glamorous novel about expensive dresses, scandals and social classes. If you’re looking for something that will dazzle you, pick up Beautiful Days. Godberson has written her best novel yet, anything goes in the roaring twenties and these three girls are having the time of their lives. Highly entertaining and addictive, it’s a guaranteed good read!

Rating – 6/5


Badass Bookie xx

Linger

Review Time! Linger is the 2nd book in the Wolves of Mercy Falls series by Maggie Stiefvater. I am perhaps the only person on earth who hasn’t read all three books of the series. I’m slowly making my way around all of Maggie’s books! Thanks so Scholastic for the review copy!

(Goodreads) the longing.


Once Grace and Sam have found each other, they know they must fight to stay together. For Sam, this means a reckoning with his werewolf past. For Grace, it means facing a future that is less and less certain.


the loss.


Into their world comes a new wolf named Cole, whose past is full of hurt and danger. He is wrestling with his own demons, embracing the life of a wolf while denying the ties of being human.


the linger.


For Grace, Sam, and Cole, life is a constant struggle between two forces -- wolf and human -- with love bearing its two sides as well. It is harrowing and euphoric, freeing and entrapping, enticing and alarming. As their world falls apart, love is what lingers. But will it be enough?
 
The Short Story? – A hauntingly beautiful novel of love and loss. A touch of the supernatural entwined with the grief, pain, loss and love of four very powerful characters. A lyrical prose and a captivating plot. Linger is unique and un-putdownable. Maggie Stiefvater has written a moving love story that will hold onto you and never let go.

The Long Story? - I’m a sucker for a great love story. While I usually lean towards the pride and prejudice inspired high school clichés, a true love story filled with loss and pain is not bad either. Linger is definitely not the saddest book I have read but it’s definitely one that carries the atmosphere of a touching tear-jerker. Even the title sounds so sad! I really enjoyed reading Linger, it’s got this almost lyrical quality about it. It’s beautiful and while it’s not the most action-packed novel out there, it’s one that will make a huge impact on the reader. A layered plot filled with grief, loss, pain and love, it’s as much of an emotional journey as it is of a physical journey. Beautiful, it’s one to be enjoyed by all.

I love book written in alternating perspectives and that was one of my favorite’s things about Shiver. Longer was even better, it was told from the perspective of four different characters whose lived all bind together somehow. Stiefvater has developed these complex characters that have very distinct personalities but all share the same hurt underneath their bravado. One of the biggest draws to the characters was the pain that I felt even as an outsider. Sam is probably one of the saddest characters I have ever met, it’s not that his sad but his personality suggest that he is a very lonely person. Grace is a character that I instantly liked. She’s practical and level-headed and while she seems fine on the outside, she’s secretly hurting. Isabel and Cole are both dealing with grief and the broken shards of their life. Through their hurt they came to understand each other. A beautiful characterization filled with depth.

Linger is a great love story that will captivate your hearts. Filled with grief, loss and pain, it’s a story about making the best of the broken lives of four very different teenagers. It’s about a curse that’s torn families and lives apart. It’s about the longing, the loss and linger when your loved ones are taken away and the willingness to do anything to get them back. One that will touch the hearts of all, Linger is a fantastic YA novel that will leave you craving for more.

Rating – 4.5/5


Badass Bookie xx

Debut of the Month - All About Virtuosity + Giveaway

Book Profile

Name - Virtuosity
Author - Jessica Martinez
Genre - Contemporary
Release Date - 18th of October 2011 ( today!)
Available - The Book Depository

Now is not the time for Carmen to fall in love. And Jeremy is hands-down the wrong guy for her to fall for. He is infuriating, arrogant, and the only person who can stand in the way of Carmen getting the one thing she wants most: to win the prestigious Guarneri competition. Carmen's whole life is violin, and until she met Jeremy, her whole focus was winning. But what if Jeremy isn't just hot...what if Jeremy is better?



Carmen knows that kissing Jeremy can't end well, but she just can't stay away. Nobody else understands her--and riles her up--like he does. Still, she can't trust him with her biggest secret: She is so desperate to win she takes anti-anxiety drugs to perform, and what started as an easy fix has become a hungry addiction. Carmen is sick of not feeling anything on stage and even more sick of always doing what she’s told, doing what's expected.

Sometimes, being on top just means you have a long way to fall...

Insider's Scoop

Author’s Secrets: All About Jeremy


1. Initially, Virtuosity wasn’t really a romance. That evolved in the rewrites—and there were many! Jeremy was always in the story, but in the first version, he was exactly what Carmen’s mother warned her he might be.


2. Jeremy was named after Anne of Green Gables’ oldest son, Jeremy Blythe. He went by Jem in the books, and I may have fallen in love with him at some point.


3. Without getting spoilery, there’s a scene that takes place in Jeremy’s hotel room between Carmen and Jeremy. I went into that scene not knowing what was going to happen. Other surprises in the book were planned from the beginning, but in that moment I was honestly worried about what was going to occur in that room and if they could ever recover from it.


4. Jeremy has a secret love for jazz. In college I had a friend (a violist) who played jazz piano, and it almost made me think of him as more than a friend. Almost.


5. Jeremy looks like a violinist I knew as a teenager. We never had a thing either, but I thought he was pretty cute. It’s been fifteen years and I think that’s the first time I’ve admitted that out loud. Nobody tell him.

~Giveaway~

Jessica has kindly offered ONE (1) Finished Copy of Virtuosity for a US Winner! Sorry to my international readers ( look out for a int'l giveaway later today!) but it was a publisher's request! Remember to leave a meaniful comment on this post or Jessica's first post ( compulsory). Thank-you!

Rules of Entry -

US ONLY
Ends 10th of November
Must leave a meaniful comment on this post or Jessica's first post
Must be 13 years or older
Must fill out this FORM

Badass Bookie xx

Sirenz Back In Fashion Cover Reveal Bomb! + Giveaway (Int'l)

The Sirenz Back In Fashion Cover Reveal Bomb is ON! As part of the Sirenz Team, I bring you the cover without further ado... TA DA!!!! *throws confetti*
 

Sirenz Back In Fashion, the sequel to Sirenz by Charlotte Bennardo and Natalie Zaman will be hitting the shelves in June 2012—but for now, enjoy the new cover! We’re having a mega-giveaway to celebrate. The Sirenz Back In Fashion cover is debuting simultaneously on SEVEN different blogs. Visit all of us to enter and win prizes—yes, that’s PRIZES as in more than one!
How will the adventures of Meg and Shar continue? Visit these blogs to see if you can figure out what happens next:


http://dfordarlasdefinitereads.blogspot.com/

http://bookchicclub.blogspot.com/

http://speedyreader-allthingsbooks.blogspot.com/

http://www.whatsyourstorybookreviews.com/

http://badassbookie.blogspot.com/ ( YOU ARE HERE!)

http://beasbooknook.blogspot.com/

http://aten-ra.blogspot.com/

Each blogger is giving away a very special charm necklace which symbolizes something from Sirenz Back In Fashion. It could be an important object, or represent a significant place or character… or god! Leave a comment on what you think of the new cover and what you think that particular charm means, along with your email address to enter. You can comment to win on EVERY participating blog! This giveaway is INTERNATIONAL—let’s spread the Sirenz love around the world!

Drawing end dates will be determined by individual bloggers. Once all blogger drawings are complete, another drawing of ALL entries from ALL blogs will take place for a grand prize to be announced at Sirenz Official Website  and/or Natalie's Blog  and Charlotte's Blog.

~Badass Bookie's Giveaway~

As part of the Sirenz Back in Fashion Cover Reveal Team I'll be giving away a Horse Necklace ( shown below) It's INTERNATIONAL and all you need to do to enter is "LEAVE COMMENT telling me what you think of the cover and what you think this necklace represents along with your email address! "Remember each blogger is giving away a different necklace so make sure you stopover at the other blogs too!

Rules of Entry -

- Open Internationally

- Ends October 31st

- Leave a comment answering the question ( above in paragraph) and email address

- Please tweet, sidebar, facebook and spread the word about the cover reveal using hastag #sirenzcover ( not compulsory but it would be great!)

Badass Bookie xx