The Hunger Games

Now, I'm not really into the whole hyped up book-movie thing, but I remember my favorite school librarian recommending The Hunger Games to me a while back before a huge deal was made. So I bought the books, I had them around, and all of the sudden "TEAM PEETA" and "TEAM GALE" T-shirts are popping up everywhere. The commercials and the excessive blog posts made me interested again, so I plucked the book off my shelf. So, now that it had finally been de-shelved, it sat on my desk.
         Time goes by, I hear about it all over and finally decide, IT IS TIME TO READ IT. Then I realize- Oh crap, I only have 24-hours until the midnight premiere. I have never read a book so fast in my entire life. I finished this book in one day with 30minutes to spare before the movie hit the theatre.
       Aside from all the movie hype, the book was absolutely AMAZING. The Hunger Games completely captured my attention when I was reading it, I stayed up til at least 1:30am to read it. The plot was well thought up, and the set of characters I will never forget.
        Now. The question you have all been waiting for: Team Peeta, or Team Gale?
I'm going to sound like such an idiot when I say this. But when I was reading the book, I always had a haunting feeling that I liked Gale. But as the movie pictures started popping up and I took a second look, I realized that Team Peeta was defiantly the right choice.
         I plan on reading Catching Fire in the same way I read The Hunger Games: Lots and lots of coffee, and little social interaction. (Wait a minute, there was no social interaction to begin with what am I talking about?)
              Signing out from America,
                              Laura Kay~

The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

Over the past year, since I've been able to afford my own books, I've always had new books and have subsequently neglected one of my favourite past times: re-reading. So recently I've decided that I need to get around to re-reading some of my favourites and while this one is a recent favourite I really loved re-reading it in preparation for the sequel Goddess Interrupted!

 It's always been just Kate and her mom—and her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won't live past the fall.

Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld—and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.

Kate is sure he's crazy—until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride, and a goddess.

(Taken from Harlequin website)

So I loved this book the first time I read it and I loved it even more the second. The intriguing plot and awesome characters make this book particularly hard to put down and I read it both times in one sitting completely ignoring the biological necessity of food until I was finished.

I love all the Greek myths and this book is a fantastically new take on a story as old as time. One of the aspects I enjoyed about The Goddess Test is that despite not having more than a rudimentary understanding of a lot of the mythology, it was still great fun trying to work out which of the characters was who.

The novel starts strong and keeps it going and despite there not being a huge amount of action through it, there is always something going on.

Kate, the protagonist, is an amazingly strong lead who you can't help but becoming fond of almost immediately. She has looked after her mother for so long that she's never really had a chance to make her own friends and watching her become more of her own person as the novel progresses and she experiences new things is amazing. Not to mention watching the romance between her and Henry!

A fantastic read that I couldn't recommend more highly and that everyone should pick up before the March 23rd release of one of my most awaited books of the year, Goddess Interrupted!

4.5/5 for this book I couldn't put down even while reading it a second time and knowing exactly what was going to happen. That is one of the true signs of an amazing book!

Laura H

Some of the reasons I love YA

After the polarising effect of the Twilight books, YA was both brought more to the forefront of peoples attention and also labelled in what is not always a positive way. When people have asked me what I like to read I have proudly announced  “A lot of different things though I love reading YA!” After explaining to them what YA means, I am greeted with a range of cringes, flinches and reluctant fake smiles.

This is a reaction I have never been able to understand. There seems to be this popular belief that young adult fiction is simplified for teenagers and not really respectable as a genre. I kind of want to hit my head against a brick wall every time I come across this kind of belief and reaction. If I did that however my head would possibly be permanently dented by now.

That assumption also relies upon the idea that teenagers are stupid. As a sixteen-year-old girl, I disagree with this. I don’t know everything, there is still plenty to learn, and I love to learn but just because we teenagers have less life experience doesn’t mean we’re stupid.

So based on this, I would like to explain the reasons I love YA. It’s not just the fact that with teenagers as protagonists I can relate easier, though that is a major part of it. The issues and topics discussed in most of these books, even those that like my favourites have aspects of the supernatural and fantastical, are ones that everyone can connect with no matter what your age. Whether you’re experiencing these things now, or it’s a matter of reminiscing, these books have something for everyone.

And they cover all genres. There’s sci-fi, romance, fantasy, paranormal, contemporary, comedy, historical, action—need I go on? It can be light and cheerful and funny or dark and confronting and harsh. Both in the same book sometimes. They have both boys and girls as the leads. And the authors are awesomely indiscriminate for the most part not hesitating to write about boys who like boys or girls who like girls or either who like both. Authors who also don’t hesitate with talking with their fans online! –I can’t believe how addicted to twitter all the authors and YA fans have got me!

There is also so this awesome community. I have made soooo many online friends through twitter and blogs and going to signings and book events. The topic that brought us together? Young Adult books! Friends who I can obsess over the latest cover release with. Who understand it when I start screaming about how much I loved the latest release.

  So while not everything is here, this is just a short—yes I classify this as short!—explanation for some of my love of YA!

What do you think? Why do you love YA? I would love to hear what other people think!

Laura H

Jessica's Guide To Dating On The Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

Jessica's Guide To Dating On The Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

Marrying a vampire definitely doesn't fit into Jessica's senior year 'get-a-life' plan.
Enter a bizarre new exchange student named Lucius Vladescu who claims Jessica is a Romanian vampire princess by birth and he's her long-lost fiancé. He's arrogant, officious, embarrassingly overprotective, and, well, incredibly hot.
Armed with a copy of Growing Up Undead: A Teen Vampire's Guide to Dating, Health, and Emotions, Jessica tries to imagine the transition from average American teenager to glam European vampire princess. But just when things start to heat up with Lucius, a devious cheerleader sets her sights on him.
Soon Jess finds herself fighting to win back her wayward prince, stop a global vampire war – and save Lucius's soul from eternal damnation. All of which leaves her to wonder: Wouldn't life be easier if she could just fall for a nice mortal boy?
(Taken from Penguin Australia website)

I must admit first off that when I first saw this book in stores over a year ago I did judge it by it's cover. Actually, it was more by it's title. I was going through a slightly anti-vampire period and may have scorned and looked down at my nose at it. This was the wrong reaction. Attending Penguins BTL Live preview day spiked my interest in this book and I finally bought and read it. And it was not what I was expecting.

Yes, this is a book with vampires. And after reading so many books about vampires I certainly didn't have high hopes for this book to be unique. But it was. I think what I loved was that instead of trying to reinvent the perceived image of vampires like so many other authors have, Beth Fantaskey has managed to keep the traditional vampire but just give us a new story about them, painting them in a different light even .

Jessica's Guide To Dating On The Dark Side was a read with fantastic characters. They felt real and the wit and bite of a lot of the dialogue had me laughing out loud. What I loved most about this book I think is the fact that for once the protagonist wasn't just completely and mindlessly accepting of whatever supernatural occurrence they were being informed of. Jessica didn't believe what was happening instead choosing to see it as irrational. This simple thing sold me on her as a real character.

A fun read that had romance, humour and the supernatural I would definitely recommend this book. Even to those of you who are sick of vampires, give it a go, it genuinely kept me up until 1 o'clock in the morning!
 4/5 for this book which kept me up all night. And now, I'm off to read the sequel!

-Laura Hanssen

Slow-Reader Saturday!

Alright, blogging friends. An official hello to you from Laura Kay, the OTHER Nocturnal Novelist! Now, you could have noticed that my co-owner has been doing most of the posting, and here is the reason why-
                 I'm slow.
I'm such a slow reader and can't find much time to read, so putting those two things together has resulted in my own little series- Slow Reader Saturday!
When I finish a book, I'll write me reviews, and I'll post on Saturdays. I could be reading books that have been out for years, or I could be reading one of the ones on the bestseller list- you never know.
       Anyway, the moment you have all been waiting for: My review.

 During lunch one day I was searching the library and I came upon a really cool book, bu it wasn't just a normal book. It was a huge rhyming poem that told a story of tow girl poets and their trip to New York. Sister Slam And The Poetic Motormouth Road Trip was a really fascinating book to read because it combined teenage sarcasm and a flouncy romance story all in one. I really like this book a lot not only because it was written in poetry, but because it gave an interesting point of view form the main character who's name is, and you better believe it, Laura. I would reccomened this book for romance lovers and poetry lovers a like, but if your looking for your traditional love story than this is not for you. Filled with heavy slang this book is not meant to be grammtical, but to be free and interesting for all people to connect to.
   There you have it folks, I have just proved to you all that I DO in fact read.
                   Over and Out

Top Five Books of 2011

So I have read so many new books this year that I have had trouble remembering them all, but as we near the end of the year I wanted to let you guys know the books I loved the most this year. I'm not including books that are in a series unless they are the first as otherwise I'm never going to get this list below about fifty let alone down to five! If you haven't read them yet, they're something to consider buying in the end of year sales and if you have read them then please fan-girl along with me.

5. Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

I saw the cover of this book and even before I read the description or anything about it I was laughing. And the laughter didn't stop the entire way through, despite not being an easy person to make laugh. This book was one of the weirdest I've ever read but it has made this list as it is absolute genius.

4. Wither by Lauren DeStefano

This was one of the first dystopians I read apart from the Hunger Games and it sent me into a bit of a craze for them (which this list totally reflects). While neither hugely action packed nor cheerful, I fell in love with the story and the characters. But for me, one of the highlights of this book is Lauren DeStefano's gorgeous prose. 

3. Anna and the French Kiss AND Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Yes, yes I know it's cheating to put them together which technically means I have six books on this list instead of the promised five. But guys, I couldn't help it! They're both so awesome and possibly some of my most read books as I re-read them whenever

I'm feeling sad.

2. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

This book  is so incredibly unique. Seriously. It pulled me into the story and Juliettes head and as odd a place as that was to be, I didn't want the book to end and for me to have to leave. The writing was poetic and lyrical and beautiful. Not to mention how deeply I fell in love with Adam.

And....

1. Divergent by Veronica Roth

This was my favourite book for the year hands down. I've read and re-read it and then read it again. I've reccomended it and gifted it and scared randoms in bookstores by trying to force them to read it. Full of action as well as romance I could not recommend this book more. With all the layers of secret and mystery in Divergent, it is truly a page turner that I will never be able to forget. I need --need I tell you-- Insurgent NOW! Or as soon as I can get my hands on it at least. 
 

So there you have it, my top five (shut up about the sixth) books of the year. I started to add a list of books that narrowly missed the list but it got too long! I can't wait to read the books of 2012 with all the awesomeness that seems to be coming!

Merry Christmas everyone, I hope you got lots of books and have a Happy New Year!

Laura H

Cast your votes in the 2011 Swoon Awards!

So the nominations are in and voting is now open. It's time to cast your votes!

And just in case you forgot by voting you will be entered in the giveaway to win one of two copies of the book containing the Major Swoon of the Year!  Just vote below for your chance to win! There are just under two weeks for you to vote on the following categories:

Major Swoon

Girl Crush

The Funny Guy

The Bad Boy

The Good Guy

Best Boyfriend Material

Best Kiss

Best Couple

Awww moment