Today I have the pleasure in welcoming Lauren Kate. Lauren grew up in Dallas, went to school in Atlanta, and started writing in New York. She is the author of Fallen and The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove. She lives in Laurel Canyon with her husband and hopes to work in a restaurant kitchen, get a dog, and learn how to surf. I loved Fallen – you can read my review here. If you haven’t managed to get your hands on a copy yet, then it’s your lucky day as there’s…

Please give a warm welcome to Kelly Link, author of Pretty Monsters, thank you so much for being here today. There’s also a giveaway of Pretty Monsters at the end of Kelly’s post so make sure you enter! ••••••••••••••••••••••••••• I’m the author of three short story collections. All three collections include ghost stories, stories of the uncanny and the fantastic, but this one, Pretty Monsters, is a first in two ways. It’s my first young adult collection, and it’s also the first collection that I didn’t publish myself. What I…

Title: Crawlers Author: Sam Enhoven Publisher: Corgi (RHCB) PublicationDate: April 2010 ARC: 263 pages Genre: Horror Young Adult Source: Review Copy Reviewed by: Carolyn RATING: 6/10 – good SUMMARY BACK COVER: Four boys and four girls are on a trip to the theatre. Little do they know that they will never see the play. They’re about to be plunged into a nightmare. Beneath the theatre lies a secret. And now she has been released… REVIEW: ‘Crawlers‘ is a fun, entertaining YA horror that reads like a teenage horror flick but…

GIVEAWAY! [NOW CLOSED] I have 3 (THREE) copies of Keys to the Repository to giveaway thanks to the lovely peeps at Atom. All you have to do to enter is fill out this form! – easy peasy, lemon squeezy! This giveaway is for UK residents only (publishers request) Ends Saturday 3rd July. Only one entry per person please – duplicate/multiple entries will be disqualified. Lavish parties. Passionate meetings in the night. Bone-chilling murders. Exams. The day-to-day life of Schuyler Van Alen and her Blue Bloods friends (and enemies) is never…

Please give a warm welcome to Jackson Pearce, author of Sister Red, which I’ve read, reviewed and really enjoyed. Thank you so much for being here, Jackson, it’s a pleasure to have you! ••••••••••••••••••••••••••• This story is about… I’ve never been really good at those elevator pitches. You know, the quick “This story is about a boy wizard going to school!” or “This story is about a girl’s fight for her life in a dystopian setting.” The little one-liners that tell the reader/friend/parent/fellow elevator passenger the core of the story…

Title: Radiant Shadows Author: Melissa Marr Publisher: Harper Collins Children’s Books (US) PublicationDate: 29 April 2010 Hardback: 352 pages Genre: Fantasy/Faery Young Adult REVIEWED BY LAURA RATING: 8/10 BACK COVER SUMMARY: Melissa Marr’s New York Times bestselling Wicked Lovely series continues with the fourth – and penultimate – instalment in the darkly seductive story about the collision of the mortal and faery worlds…The events of FRAGILE ETERNITY have left the faery world off-balance, its key players fighting to maintain control over their world – and its secrets… Devlin lives in…

Title: The Radleys Author: Matt Haig Publisher: Walker Canongate PublicationDate: July 2010 Paperback: 337 pages Genre: Supernatural Young Adult (14+) RATING: 8/10 – brilliant, couldn’t put it down! GOODREADS SUMMARY: Meet the Radleys: Peter, Helen and their teenage children, Clara and Rowan, live in an English town. They are an everyday family, averagely dysfunctional, averagely content. But as their children have yet to find out, the Radleys have a devastating secret From one of Britain’s finest young novelists comes a razor-sharp unpicking of adulthood and family life. In this moving,…

On My Wishlist is a fun weekly event hosted by Book Chick City and runs every Saturday. It’s where I list all the books I desperately want but haven’t actually bought yet. They can be old, new or forthcoming. It’s also an event that you can join in with too – Mr Linky is always at the ready for you to link your own ‘On My Wishlist’ post. If you want to know more click here. •••••••••••••••••••••• With a title like that I couldn’t resist – I love paranormals with…

GIVEAWAY! [NOW CLOSED] I have 5 (FIVE) copies of Hush Hush to giveaway away thanks to the lovely peeps at Simon & Schuster. All you have to do to enter is fill out this form! – easy peasy, lemon squeezy! There will be FOUR winners: 4 (FOUR) from the UK (sent direct from publisher) and 1 (ONE) International (sent by me – aren’t I a lovely fluffy bunny!). Ends Saturday 3rd July 8am GMT. Only one entry per person please – duplicate/multiple entries will be disqualified. GOOD LUCK! ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Next…

IKevin Brooks was born in Exeter and studied in Birmingham and London. He had a varied working life, with jobs in a crematorium, a zoo, a garage and a post office, before – happily – giving it all up to write books. Kevin is the author of Being, Black Rabbit Summer, Killing God and iBoy for Puffin. He now lives in North Yorkshire. There’s a chance to win a copy of iBoy at this end of Kevin’s post, so make sure you enter! *************************** I was in Athens when I…

GIVEAWAY! [NOW CLOSED] I have 1 (ONE) complete set of the ‘Midnighters’ series to giveaway, courtesy of the lovely people at Atom. All you have to do to enter is fill out this form! – easy peasy, lemon squeezy! Open to UK Residents only this time, sorry (publishers request). Ends Saturday 3rd July 8am GMT. Only one entry per person please – duplicate/multiple entries will be disqualified. GOOD LUCK! ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Next up on ’10 Fun Days of YA Fiction’: Later today, author Kevin Brooks is stopping by with a guest…

Title: The Secret Hour (Midnighters #1) Author: Scott Westerfeld Publisher: Atom (UK) / Eos (US) PublicationDate: June 2010 (UK) / 2004 (US) Paperback: 276 pages Genre: Science Fiction YoungAdult .. RATING: 7/10 – very good GOODREADS SUMMARY: For one secret hour each night, the town belongs to the dark creatures that haunt the shadows. Only a small group of people know about the secret hour — only they are free to move about the midnight time. These people call themselves Midnighters. Each one has a different power that is strongest…

Title: Shadows (Dark Touch #1) Author: Amy Meredith Publisher: Red Fox/Random House PublicationDate: April 2010 Paperback: 281 pages Genre: Supernatural Young Adult RATING: 6/10 – good SUMMARY: Fifteen-year-old Eve Evergold is cute, sassy and enjoying a busy social life. What she doesn’t know yet is that someone close to her is an evil demon that only she has the supernatural power to defeat. She needs to work out who it is – and fast! Because although there’s something very attractive about the dark side…dating a demon? Pure hell! REVIEW: Shadows…

Why I Read YA by Jenny Blog: Wondrous Reads Twitter: @WondrousReads When people ask me why I’m 23 years old and still reading as much YA as I can get my hands on, I often shrug and quickly try to think of a good, intelligent reason. My answer: YA is just better. I do read a handful of adult novels, but they’re very carefully chosen and are definitely in the minority on my bookshelves. I love some series – like Sophie Kinsella’s Shopaholic books – but I find the majority…

Title: Infinity   Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon PublicationDate: June 2010 (UK) / May 2010 (US) Publisher: Atom (UK) / St Martin’s Griffin (US) Paperback: 306 pages Genre: Fantasy Young Adult .. RATING: 6/10 – good SUMMARY: At fourteen, Nick Gautier thinks he knows everything about the world around him. Streetwise, tough and savvy, his quick sarcasm is the stuff of legends. . .until the night when his best friends try to kill him. Saved by a mysterious warrior who has more fighting skills than Chuck Norris, Nick is sucked into the…