Author Q & A with Sarah Rees Brennan

 You guys, guess what? ‘Team Human’ is released TOMORROW. I can barely contain my excitement about it, because it is officially the best thing since sliced bread. And I can barely contain my excitement about the lovely lady who has agreed to answer some questions about the book! Sarah Rees Brennan, one half of the crazy duo who has written 'Team Human' is one of the best and funniest young adult writer's around today.
So sit back, enjoy, and count down the hours until tomorrow’s release day!

“How did the book come about? The concept and the collaboration?”

Oh God, I know it's horrible to say our vampire book was inspired by Twilight, but it really was: Justine was watching New Moon, and I said my favourite scene was when Bella's friend is like 'why do you have to go chasing around on motorbikes just because your boyfriend broke up with you!' And then we talked about our friends who had boyfriends we didn't like--I think everyone has friends like that, it's universal, and it's especially bad in school when you can't get away from them being all 'Ethan is soooo dreamy.' And then we thought, what if the boyfriend of our friend that we hated really was a vampire? And I made Justine watch the Vampire Diaries. That was a very important part of the process. I love those vampires and their diaries.

“How did the writing process work? Did you write separate sections or work on it together? Or did you have specific characters that were ‘yours’?”

We'd alternate chapters. Usually one of us would write a couple and the other would write a couple more: I often write overlong so Justine would split up my chapters and cut them down, and I'd add to hers, so there are no chapters that ended up being *just* anybody's.

“Did you write it apart or together? And did you meet up to block it out?”

We were apart--SUPER apart! Justine lives in Australia and America, and I live in Ireland. Luckily, I keep a vampire's schedule, so Justine would be like 'we need to talk' and I'd be like 'It's three a.m. So I'm ready, gimme a call!'

“Who was the voice of reason in the process?”

I'm sure Justine would say it was her. ;) I admit once such was definitely the case.

JUSTINE: You can't write a make out scene with the surf pounding on the shore... it'll seem NAUGHTY.

SARAH: Why I never, Larbalestier you filth monger!

SARAH: ... I've typed in some things into google and I now realise you are entirely correct. Now leave me... I must wash out my eyes.

“How were the harder decisions made when writing, was there a nominated person who had the final say?”

Oh, no. I think if there had been the other person would have strangled them. The only fair thing to do is keep offering solutions until one is acceptable to both parties... and everyone has to be open to compromise. You get to a place where one person says 'No, it's all my own way' and it's all over... collaboration means cooperation. So, lots of just talking things through. We were like the Vampire UN for a while there.

“Did it help the writing process having someone else involved, or did it make it harder?”
Easier in some ways, and harder in others!

“Where did the title and tag line come from, because they are AWESOME.”
Thank you VERY much! Scott Westerfeld, Justine's brilliant husband, came up with the title, and Justine and I were both like 'Huh! ... Actually we really like it.' And the tag line 'friends don't let friends date vampires' - was ME! That's right, ME! (Drunk on power, Sarah collapses into a heap of confetti.) It's due to Harper being awesome that it's on the book. I was like 'Imma put this joke on these Team Human stickers I'm making' and they were like 'Can we put on the book?' and I was like 'Can you!' and they were like 'No, but can we?' and I was like 'Yes! Yeah, sorry, I thought that was implied...'

“We know you have a thing for irredeemable characters, is there one in Team Human for us to root for?”

Hmmm. Maybe. Vampires are always up to dodgy business. There's this one vampire called Minty who fakes a British accent, totally sneaks illicit bites on the sly, and who is our editor's favourite character...

“Has the response to ‘Team Human’ surprised you at all? And what were your agents reactions?”

I've just been really happy that people seemed happy we were doing it, and excited to read it! And then there were amazing starred reviews, and I was even happier! (Writing books full of jokes means sometimes you don't get taken seriously... breaking news, I know! But I was just so glad people saw what we were trying to do.)

I must say however that my agent, Kristin Nelson, had a reaction I found totally insulting!

SARAH: So I secretly wrote a book with a friend of mine I'm sure you're pretty surprised.

KRISTIN: Nope.

SARAH: Nope?

KRISTIN: Being your agent has led me to be very zen. This isn't such a crazy thing to do. Not compared to some of the other stuff I fear you doing. Hey, a book, great! I'll go sell it.

SARAH: ... Good?

KRISTIN: Remember don't put any fireworks up your nose and don't buy a sports car and drive it into a tree.

SARAH: ... You can't tell me what to do.

“Would you collaborate again in the future?”

Me and Justine, or me and someone else? (Call me, J.K. Rowling. ;)) Collaboration is generally a fun thing to do, if you have an idea you're excited about and you're both willing to compromise! (Seriously J.K. Rowling, call me. Any time. Night or day.)

“We know you have Unspoken coming out in Autumn 2012, is that a standalone or will there be more books to come in that series?”

I do! It's book one of the Lynburn Legacy series, and it's a trilogy. I love a trilogy. I have a rule--book 1, set up, book 2, make out, book 3, defeat evil. Unspoken's a Gothic mystery about a girl reporter who finds out her imaginary friend is a real boy living in the Gothic manor up on the hill. There are also dark deeds going on in the woods. No geographical location is safe! And as you can imagine, there is much scope for making out and evil-battlin'!

I hope you guys will enjoy it. And I hope you will enjoy Team Human!

A huge thank you to Sarah for taking time out from her hectic schedule to talk to us! And if that Q&A made you laugh, smile or even snort just a little bit, go and buy it tomorrow! It will be the best purchase you can possibly make!

To see more of Sarah’s special brand of crazy visit her Live Journal here .

And her tumblr page here!

Pandemonium UK Cover Reveal

You guys I am so unbelievably excited about this cover!


I really wasn't all that fussed on the cover for Delirium, yes ok pretty, but not enough to make me sit and stroke it for hours. I am a terrible, terrible person when it comes to pretty covers. They seduce me and make me want to build a little nest and tell them all how beautiful they are.
Don't believe me? Well maybe about the nest part, sure, but check out my post about the prettiest covers of 2011.


And 2012 is shaping up to pretty coverlicious year too - just look at the pretties!


Pandemonium is released on 1st March in the UK. Go press that pre-order button!

Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

I’m pushing aside the memory of my nightmare, 

pushing aside thoughts of Alex, 

pushing aside thoughts of Hana and my old school, 

push, 

push, 

push, 

like Raven taught me to do.

The old life is dead.

But the old Lena is dead too.

I buried her.

I left her beyond a fence,

behind a wall of smoke and flame.

Lauren Oliver delivers an electrifying follow-up to her acclaimed New York Times bestseller, Delirium. This riveting, brilliant novel crackles with the fire of fierce defiance, forbidden romance, and the sparks of a revolution about to ignite.

Book I'm squeeing about in June (Part 2)

A late minute addition to the books I'm squeeing about in June!
(because, you know, Amazon lie to me about dates for ages and then suddenly move the date forward by a month... Not that I'm complaining, because I am totally squeeing about getting hold of this book sooner...


The Demon's Surrender
by: Sarah Rees Brennan

The Goblin Market has always been the centre of Sin's world. She's a dancer and a performer, secure in her place. But now the Market is at war with the magicians, and Sin's place is in danger. Keeping secrets from the market she loves, struggling with a friend who has become a rival, Sin is thrown together with the Ryves brothers, Nick and Alan - whom she's always despised. But Alan has been marked by a magician, to be tortured as the magician pleases, and as Sin watches Alan struggle to protect the demon brother he loves, she begins to see both brothers in a new light. But how far will brother go to save brother - and what will it cost them all?


Oh my god, I am so excited about this book it's unreal. I love it. I love Sarah Rees Brennan. I love this series. I love Nick. I love Alan. I love Jamie! 
I cannot get over how awesome this series is. I love the different point of views for each instalment, and I'm so excited to get to know Sin better in this book. I mean she was sassy and sexy and all, but I want to know more.
And I want more of the most delicious brothers ever written. And I want the cute sarcasm, and the witty banter, and the hot make out scenes.
I mean *swoon*
So yeah, not much else to say other than OMGWTF I LOVE IT! And also, this whole being released a month earlier than I was expecting? Totally fab.
Go out. Buy it. Pre-order it. Read it. Worship at its greatness.

Review: City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

I've tried to keep spoilers to a minimum, but you have been warned, there are SPOILERS BELOW. I recommend reading the book before reading the review.

The Mortal War is over, and sixteen-year-old Clary Fray is back home in New York, excited about all the possibilities before her. She's training to become a Shadowhunter and – most importantly of all – she can finally call Jace her boyfriend. But nothing comes without a price. Someone is murdering the Shadowhunters who used to be in Valentine's Circle, provoking tensions between Downworlders and Shadowhunters that could lead to a second, bloody war. And when Jace begins to pull away from her without explaining why, Clary is forced to delve into the heart of a mystery whose solution reveals her worst nightmare: she herself has set in motion a terrible chain of events that could lead to her losing everything she loves. Even Jace.

I’ve taken a lot of time over this review, read the book twice and given everything a lot of thought. Not just to wait until people would be less grumpy about spoilers, but also because this latest instalment from Cassie Clare has given me plenty to think about.

I loved this book. I love the writing, I love the character developments, and the new level that everything has been taken to. Cassie Clare had been saying that these next three novels marked a shift in the series – a darker twist, and she more than delivered.

I loved the tone, it was a bit of a shift down from the previous three novels. Instead of it all being high and terror and really high stakes all the way through, it was a tiny bit more relaxed. Instead of having to learn a ton of information about this new world we were plunging in to, the war is won, they’ve survived, they’re back, and technically all should be good. So even though the stakes are still high and the stress was fairly killing me by the end of the book, it was nice to see some vaguely normal bits of life – like the gig, and the training and Halo.

It made the contrast when it got all stressful that much bigger. In fact, it kind of felt like a cross between Gossip Girl and the Vampire Diaries during the engagement party – it was awesome just to see a slightly different side to their lives, instead of constant high stakes and death.

Ah Jace and Clary, where do I begin?...
It was so good to finally see some making out without the ick factor of ‘hey we might be related’ and the dirty sexy alley scene? I may swoon…
Whilst I hated the problems between them meant they didn’t spend all that much time together throughout the book, they sure made up for it when they were around each other. Cassie Clare is officially a Queen of Make-Out scenes. I also loved seeing the next chapter. So many series or books end after the big epic battle and the hero and heroine get together and they’re going to go away and live happily ever after. But we’re actually getting to see it, and to realize that it isn’t necessarily happily ever after – but they’re going to try damn hard to get there. Well Clary is, Jace can be a little frustrating with his whole ‘I am too evil, I must punish myself by not seeing you’ and I’m so glad that Clary totally calls him on it and points out that it’s not actually all about him.

I love that we get to see how strong they can be – as well as how sexy – and the showdown on the rooftop really showed how far they’re willing to go to ultimately save each other. Although Clary is a poo for not running when she was told.

The whole rooftop showdown was epic. I genuinely couldn’t see a way out of it without EVERYONE DYING and I was absolutely terrified. It was nice to see Clary put to use some of her training – actually we got to see her do that a couple of times during the novel, and it made her less damsel in distress. Not that she’s ever really been a damsel in distress, but she held her own quite impressively with some really ingenious ideas for weapons.

I love Alec and Magnus together. I was sad that they weren’t involved more, but I’m looking forward to more from them in the coming books. What I was most struck by was Clare’s tackling of the idea of an immortal and a mortal in a relationship. We’ve had a lot of fiction where it’s idealised, and the downsides aren’t really explored, so to have those issues raised – particularly the jealousy over past relationships and how fleeting those mortal relationships are to an immortal was fascinating. And I’m so glad that even though it was more of a side story, that this was tackled. And I’m really looking forward to seeing more of them and this fresh dynamic now the issues have been raised, cos they ain’t just gonna disappear.

Also, South Carolina. That is all.

In fact that’s something I love about Clare’s novels. She doesn’t just focus on Jace and Clary. There are a number of really engaging and important characters, all with their own intertwining story lines, and to be able to juggle that many threads and keep all of them interesting so that the reader doesn’t mind they’ve swapped to someone else’s story, is a true art.

I’ve always had a bit of a thing for Simon, and after this instalment, I love him even more; just throwing it out there… And even though he was a bum for dating both girls at once, I’m so glad that he and Isabelle seem to be working something out, and I want to see how that develops and whether it will work out in the end. Also, I want more of Isabelle please, she is awesome and there wasn’t enough of her in this book. More please.
As well as our regular characters, we were introduced to a few new ones, and I love Kyle/Jordan, and so glad that Maia might get her happy ending as well as Isabelle – they’re both awesome and I hated the Simon hurt them.

I love Cassie Clare’s writing style. I love the voices, they are so clear you always  know exactly who’s talking and I love the humour and the sarcasm. Some of the conversations between Simon and Jace had me laughing out loud. It has been so amazing to start by reading Clare’s short stories and fan fiction and reading each book that’s been released, and they’ve all been good, but her writing has gotten even better the further we get into the series. I think this is the strongest book in the Mortal Instruments series and I cannot wait to see where she goes from here.

Despite the fact that I was nearly at the end of the book and everything looked set for a relatively happy ending, I wasn’t fooled – I knew something awful was going to happen I just wasn’t sure what. And I wasn’t disappointed.
Oh good lord that was terrifyingly horrible and heart breaking, because this time Jace seemed more aware of what was going on, and was still unable to stop it. However, it does leave us with an awesome set up for the next few books.

I’m intrigued to see where them becoming blood brothers leads next. It can’t be anywhere good, but you can bet it’s going to be awesome.

There were so many new plots brought into play, and a few seemed resolved but will probably come back to bite us in a later book. It had all of the excitement of a new series without the frantic world building that often happens in a first book. Which was a brilliant combination. It was a fresh start, a whole new take on a world we’ve already been introduced to, but one that can still shock and surprise us.

I’m also fascinated to see the references to ‘Clockwork Angel’ and the characters and relationships introduced to us there, and how the two series are going to overlap over the next four books. It’s made me even more curious about Magnus than I already was.

So a very exciting follow up to ‘City of Glass’ and possibly the strongest book in the series so far, I loved ‘City of Fallen Angels’. I’m still a little more caught up in the Infernal Devices series, so I’m really excited that we get the next instalment for that series late this year too – Cassie is spoiling us!
And now, I have to go purchase the audio book for COFA because it’s read by Ed Westwick, and he makes me swoon.


Edit to include the Audiobook:
I've since had chance to listen to the audio book, and I tell you now, buy it. Buy it just for Ed Westwick's beautiful voice and the fabulous accents. Hear him do Italian, French and american. And they're all just divine.
On a slightly more serious note, whilst I love Westwick's portrayal, Molly Quinn's didn't do so much for me. I love Clary as a character, but if I'd just heard her in the audiobook and not read the paper version, I would have hated her. She sounds so vapid and completely consumed by Jace just through Quinn's portrayal which I found really sad. There also isn't much difference between most of the voices Quinn does, which makes it less easy to follow. Westwick you get a really strong divide so you know exactly who's talking when.
All in all, a bit mixed. Loved Westwick's parts but I'm not fussed on Quinn's. However for me that still isn't a dealbreaker and it's one of my most listened to audiobooks.

Books I'm squeeing about in March

February has been mixed. I’ve spent a lot of time hiding in book world, and made some amazing discoveries – new authors, new series, and sequels galore. But I’ve had one eye on March, because there are some amazing books scheduled to come out throughout. I’ve been waiting for some of these for a long time – and I’m not a patient person, so this is a big deal.
Ok, so the four I’m going to throw at you are two new books, and two that are continuations of series’ that have already been published.

The Return: Midnight (The Vampire Diaries) by L. J. Smith

Release Date: 3^rd March 2011 (Paperback)

The vampire love triangle that spawned hundreds of thousands of fans-and inspired a major new dramatisation shown on ITV2 concludes in this powerful final volume of The Vampire Diaries. In Midnight, golden girl Elena Gilbert is back from the Dark Dimension, having successfully freed her vampire boyfriend Stefan Salvatore from imprisonment. Saving Stefan had an unlikely consequence: his vampire brother Damon Salvatore has become a mortal. While the trio reels from this latest twist, they must still deal with the demons that have taken over Elena’s hometown, Fell’s Church. MIDNIGHT takes Elena, Stefan, and Damon to their darkest moments yet...   Danger, romance, and paranormal mystery will keep readers fascinated with this captivating finale to the New York Times bestselling series.

I literally cannot wait for this book. The series has been incredible, and if you haven’t found them yet, go out and catch up before this final instalment. However, the release of this will be bittersweet. Anyone who has kept up to date with news surrounding this series will know that this will be the final book that L. J. Smith writes for the series. She has been effectively ‘fired’ from the series, so whilst there will probably be more books, they won’t be written by Smith herself. Readers are furious, and it will be interesting to see what happens. Will people keep reading the series? The company will be using a ghost writer to continue the series, and given the standard of Stefan’s Diaries, also written by a ghost writer, the potential is that the series will go downhill with the loss of L. J. Smith. So will readers continue to follow the events of the characters? Or will they stop with the release of ‘Midnight’? Regardless, there is still one chance to read the brilliance of Smith’s story, and that makes ‘Midnight’ all the more precious.

Click to pre-order: http://tiny.cc/vtyoi

Darkest Mercy (The fifth book in The Wicked Lovely series) by Melissa Marr

Release Date: 3^rd March 2011 (Paperback)

The Summer King is missing; the Dark Court is bleeding; and a stranger walks the streets of Huntsdale, his presence signifying the deaths of powerful fey.
Torn between his new queen and his old love, Keenan left Huntsdale to wander aimlessly but after centuries of leading his court it was not long before the reality of being Summer King became too pressing. Violence seemed more inevitable by the day and the Summer Court was not yet strong enough to face conflict, so Keenan made a dangerous deal with the water fey. It is a desperate bargain he makes to strengthen his court against the coming war. Aislinn tends the Summer Court, searching for her absent king and yearning for Seth. She knows she must be a powerful queen to hold her court together, while Bananach becomes more and more dangerous, and she is losing faeries to her. Donia longs for fiery passion even as she coolly readies the Winter Court for battle. Her court is still powerful, but she must remain focused on keeping them that way and not get distracted by Keenan when he shows up at her door again. The Dark Court is thrown into chaos when they are rocked by tragedy. And Seth, sworn brother of the Dark King and heir to the High Queen, is about to make a mistake that could cost his life. They all know what Bananach seeks – the raven-faery is the embodiment of war and discord. She and her growing number of allies want mutiny and murder. Love, despair and betrayal ignite the Faeries Courts, and in the final conflict, some will win… and some will lose everything. The thrilling conclusion to Melissa Marr’s bestselling Wicked Lovely series will leave readers breathless.

This series is brilliant. Melissa Marr is a genius with urban fantasy fiction, and her ‘Wicked Lovely’ series is utterly mind boggling. Instead of being focused solely on one person or one couple, there are an entire cast of characters who feature in some or all of the books, and each play a part in the intriguing ins and outs of faery court politics. If you enjoyed Holly Black’s series of books Tithe, Valiant and Ironside, you’ll love this series.
A truly staggering work of imagination, if you haven’t yet discovered Melissa Marr, start with the first of the series ‘Wicked Lovely’, followed by ‘Ink Exchange’ ‘Fragile Eternity’ and ‘Radiant Shadows’.

Pre-order the paperback here: http://tiny.cc/az7b3
However, the kindle edition is being released ahead of the paperback, and will be available from 22^nd February 2011. http://tiny.cc/gtdyv

The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell

Release Date: 7^th March 2011 (Hardback & Kindle)

Baltimore, 1889. Seventeen-year-old Amelia van den Broek has been sent from Maine to live with her cousin's family for the summer. She's been sent there by her older brother for one reason, and one reason alone: to find a husband.
For a girl who's in the city for the first time, though, Baltimore offers up a slew of distractions. Including the fact that she's started having visions of the future. As the people of Baltimore -- and everywhere else -- are currently fascinated with Spiritualism, her visions serve to catapult Amelia from Outsider to In Demand.
The most distracting distraction of all, though, is Nathaniel Witherspoon, a mysterious artist Amelia finds herself irresistibly drawn to, though she knows that he is, in no way, an eligible suitor. But drawn to him she is, even before she learns that they have more in common than their mutual attraction...

I came across this through an early review which can be found here at ‘The Bookshelves Of Doom’ blog http://tiny.cc/86p8m
After reading the review I immediately went to buy the book, and was thwarted by the fact that it wasn’t out for like TWO MORE MONTHS. So I sent the link to my best friend so that I wasn’t dying of impatience alone. I like to share frustration. Stir it around with a nice big spoon. I’m nice like that.
It’s been likened to ‘A Great and Terrible Beauty’ by Libba Bray, which is on my list of awesome books I wish I could eat so they stay with me forever. And I’ve been searching for something similar to those ever since I read them. That and the fact that I love historical fiction, young adult romance, and the really pretty cover. I am a sucker for pretty covers.
So I’m going to continue to get over excited until the book arrives and I can review it and share the excitement.

Go and pre-order it now: http://tiny.cc/b3ubq

Entwined by Heather DixonRelease Date: 29^th March (Hardcover)

Azalea is trapped. Just when she should feel that everything is before her . . . beautiful gowns, dashing suitors, balls filled with dancing . . . it's taken away. All of it.
The Keeper understands. He's trapped, too, held for centuries within the walls of the palace. And so he extends an invitation.
Every night, Azalea and her eleven sisters may step through the enchanted passage in their room to dance in his silver forest.
But there is a cost.
The Keeper likes to keep things.
Azalea may not realize how tangled she is in his web until it is too late.

This looks to be another retelling of the twelve dancing princesses, which is fine be me. I love that story, it was one of my favourites as a child, and I’ve only just discovered some of the retellings. I read and reviewed “Princess of the Midnight Ball” and it was through that I found “Entwined.” I don’t know much about it other than the blurb, and haven’t found any reviews yet. So I’m going into this fairly open, and am looking forward to seeing what happens.


Pre-Order here: http://tiny.cc/rtlcp

Books I'm squeeing about in February

So January has been a dark month. Less of the snow, more of the rain. So I’ve spent most of it hiding under my duvet reading – a habit I fully intend to continue through into February. So what’s got me excited for the month ahead? On my list of 2011 books, most of them are coming out in the June/July time, but luckily there are some choosing to offer me some light relief ahead of schedule.

Delerium by Lauren Oliver
Released: 3^rd February 2011
Seriously the amount of love this book has gotten already is insane – there are good reviews left, right and centre and even a love letter over at The Crooked Shelf. http://tiny.cc/qu0re
And from the sneaky peak of the first few pages, the love looks like it’s well deserved. I cannot wait for this one to drop through my letterbox.

Go forth and pre-order! http://tiny.cc/sffva

The Queen’s Lady by Eve Edwards
Released: 3^rd February 2011
There is sometimes method in my madness when I buy books and leave them for a little while before reading them. This tends to only happen if it’s the first in a series, and I want to try and reduce the waiting gap between the first and the second. I recently read and reviewed The Other Countess, the first book in the series, and boy did I love it. http://reviewdiaries.blogspot.com/2011/01/review-other-countess-by-eve-edwards.html
It was funny, moving, the characters were incredibly well written, lifelike and flawed, and the amount of research that most have gone into it quite literally blew my mind. And you know what the best part is? This second book is about my favourite character Lady Jane. I want her happy ending dammit!

Go forth and pre-order! http://tiny.cc/92gun

A Touch Mortal by Leah Clifford

Released: 22^nd February 2011
This is my whim book of the month. E.g. I wandered around Amazon getting side tracked by pretty covers and seeing what they recommended I read next based on books I loved. So I know very little about this book, other than the cover is intriguing and it’s about a dead person who’s not really dead, well she is but she’s trapped, but I don’t think she’s a ghost. I’m not sure. She could be. Anyway, I’m intrigued enough to want to find out. In case you haven’t been persuaded by my awesome selling tactic the full blurb can be found here – http://www.leahclifford.com/

And you can then go ahead and pre-order it here! http://tiny.cc/rmsre

So those are my three books for February – but don’t be fooled, I’m sure Amazon will find plenty else to tempt me with that I just haven’t spotted yet.

March is shaping up to be a pretty hot month as well. Entwined by Heather Dixon, The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell, Darkest mercy by Melissa Marr, and The Return: Midnight by L. J. Smith. I literally cannot contain my excitement. I may combust before we even get there.

Excitements Abound

Oh my gosh I am so excited!

It has just been revealed on Twitter, an exciting sneak peak of the new cover for Deanna Raybourn's new Lady Julia Grey book "The Dark Enquiry."


Full credit goes to @Tarzansgrrl who posted the link and you can find the original post here http://yfrog.com/hsr76dcj

But I did so want to share the excitement! I have no idea if this will be the universal cover, as the UK covers have been different in the past, so we shall just have to wait and see!