Chime by Franny Billingsley Bloomsbury (Apr 2011) Hardback, 368 pages Young Adult, Fantasy Briony has a secret. It is a secret that killed her stepmother, ruined her sister’s mind, and will end her life, if anyone were to know. She has powers. Then Eldric comes along with his golden lion eyes and a great mane of tawny hair. He is as natural as the sun, and he treats her as if she is extraordinary. And everything starts to change… (Goodreads) REVIEWER: Rebecca When I first saw the cover for Chime…

Barely Human by Trace Riles Eirelander Publishing (Dec 2011) | Paperback, 256 pages Urban Fantasy I feel it’s important that a book inspires you to pick it up from the many thousands out there, be it a catchy title or great cover. For these reasons alone, I was not keen to pick up Barely Human. In fact, it kept finding its way to the bottom of my review book pile. I was definitely too harsh in my presumption of this book. The main protagonist Jessie, is a detective and has a…

Infinite Days (Vampire Queen #1) by Rebecca Maizel | Paperback, 400 pages Macmillan Children’s Books (Apr 2011) Paranormal YA Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel puts a unique spin on the saturated vampire fiction market, making this an intriguing book with a whole lot of potential. Potential is the key word here, as I didn’t feel that this book lived up to the great plot I was expecting. It begins well, with the introduction of our heroine, Lenah Beaudonte. She was the queen of a vampire coven, but has now reawakened as…

CHASERS (Alone #1) By James Phelan PUBLISHER: Kensington Publishing RELEASE DATE: 30th October 2012 FORMAT: Ebook, 256 pages GENRE: Dystopian, Young Adult Four Teenagers. One Destroyed City. Thousands of Infected Predators. Jesse is on a UN Youth Ambassadors camp in New York when his subway carriage is rocked by an explosion. Jesse and his three friends, Dave, Mini and Anna, crawl out from the wreckage to discover a city in chaos. Streets are deserted. Buildings are in ruins. Worse, the only other survivors seem to be infected with a virus that…

Mina Wentworth and the Invisible City (Iron Seas #1.5) by Meljean Brook | Berkley (Aug 2012) | Ebook, 104 pages Steampunk Romance Warning: contains spoilers for the first book in series Mina Wentworth and the Invisible City by Meljean Brook follows on from The Iron Duke, with Rhys and Mina living in relative marital bliss in the changed society of London. The novella opens with detective inspector Mina Wentworth returning from a police investigation and determined to hide her newly acquired injuries from Rhys. Since their marriage he has become even more…

SISTER ASSASSIN (Mind Games #1) by Kiersten White PUBLISHER: HarperTeen RELEASE DATE: 19th February 2013 FORMAT: Ebook, 302 pages GENRE: Science Fiction, Young Adult In a stunning departure from her New York Times bestselling Paranormalcy trilogy, Kiersten White delivers a slick, edgy, heart-stoppingly intense psychological thriller about two sisters determined to protect each other – no matter the cost. Fia was born with flawless instincts. Her first impulse, her gut feeling, is always exactly right. Her sister, Annie, is blind to the world around her – except when her mind…

Dead Spots (Scarlett Bernard #1) by Melissa F. Olson 47 North (Oct 2012) | Paperback, 283 pages Urban Fantasy Scarlett is a rarity in the magical community. She is one of a handful of nulls whose unique abilities have the power to remove all traces of magic within quite a large radius. For the supernaturals of Los Angeles, Scarlett can turn both werewolves and vampires human again and can cancel out magical spells. She has managed to earn a living using her abilities as a cleaning service to the three magical communities…

Embrace the Highland Warrior by Anita Clenney (Connor Clan #2) Sourcebooks Casablanca (Nov 2011) Paperback, 400 pages Paranormal Romance Embrace The Highland Warrior is one of those books that took me ages to read. Admittedly, it’s because I was poorly, but at the same time it didn’t completely grip me and suck me in. But I did still really enjoy it. So, I’m going to put some of my issues with pace down to the fact I was ill, rather than because there was anything wrong with the writing. The second book…

THREE PARTS DEAD (Three Parts Dead #1) by Max Gladstone PUBLISHER: Tor Books RELEASE DATE: 2nd Oct 2012 FORMAT: Hardback, 336 pages GENRE: Fantasy A god has died, and it’s up to Tara, first-year associate in the international necromantic firm of Kelethres, Albrecht, and Ao, to bring Him back to life before His city falls apart. Her client is Kos, recently deceased fire god of the city of Alt Coulumb. Without Him, the metropolis’s steam generators will shut down, its trains will cease running, and its four million citizens will…

HYSTERIA by Megan Miranda PUBLISHER: Bloomsbury Publishing RELEASE DATE: 14th February 2013 FORMAT: Ebook, 272 pages GENRE: Mystery, Young Adult Mallory’s life is falling apart. Her boyfriend was stabbed. He bled to death in her kitchen. Mallory was the one who stabbed him. But she can’t remember what happened that night. She only remembers the fear… When Mallory’s parents send her away to a boarding school, she thinks she can escape the gossip and the threats. But someone, or something, has followed her. There’s the hand that touches her shoulder when…

The Magic Mirror and the Seventh Dwarf by Tia Nevitt (Accidental Enchantments #2) | Carina Press (Feb 2013) Ebook, 250 pages | Fantasy Romance This alternative fairy tale starts with Prince Richard running across the Germanic countryside trying to hide from anyone and everyone. Each morning and evening Richard is forced to truthfully answer three questions asked by the evil queen through the magic mirror. One question is always ‘who’s the fairest of them all’. Unable to lie Richard, tries to avoid meeting anyone who may be prettier than the evil queen or…

ALTERNITY by Mari Mancusi PUBLISHER: NLA Digital RELEASE DATE: 19th October 2012 FORMAT: Ebook, 236 pages GENRE: Science Fiction, Young Adult Imagine waking up in a post-apocalyptic, nightmare world–and being told your whole life is but a dream. Skye Brown thought she was your typical teen–good grades, hot boyfriend, and an afterschool job that pays her to play videogames. But then she started having the dreams. In her dreams, there is no Earth. Only Terra, a bleak, underground wasteland where people live in squalor and oppression. In her dreams, there is…

Trickster by Jeff Somers Pocket Books (Feb 2013) | Ebook, 384 pages Urban Fantasy The story starts with Lem and his faithful, if not rather mentally challenged friend Mags enjoying all life that has to offer. Well, what it can offer a couple of con artists who only have $7 between them, no home and no belongings. There are basically the lowest rung of the magical ladder and have no intention of trying to climb higher. Lem, himself aptly describes their situation: We were fucking incompetent. In all things, we’d failed….

ABANDON (Abandon Trilogy #1) by Meg Cabot PUBLISHER: Macmillian Children’s Books RELEASE DATE: Sept 2011 FORMAT: Paperback, 297 pages GENRE: Paranormal, Young Adult Last year, Pierce died – just for a moment. And when she was in the space between life and death, she met John: tall dark and terrifying, it’s his job to usher souls from one realm to the next. There’s a fierce attraction between them, but Pierce knows that if she allows herself to fall for John she will be doomed to a life of shadows and loneliness in…

The Proposal (The Survivors’ Club #1) by Mary Balogh | Piatkus Books (May 2012) Paperback, 309 pages | Historical Romance The Proposal by Mary Balogh is a historical romance, in which two unsuspecting individuals are thrown together in what could be called fate. Lady Gwendoline Muir is staying in Cornwall to support her friend after the passing of her husband, despite the fact that her friend is not the easiest woman to get along with. An argument between the two forces Gwen to take a walk along the beach near Penderris Hall,…