Top Ten Tuesday: Books that Feature Travel

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week has a different theme & you can find all the details about how to join in HERE.

Today's theme is Books that Feature Travel and I have to admit that I initially thought I was going to struggle to come up with 10 books to include. I haven't actually read many road trip books but when I sat down to think of it I managed to come up with plenty of stories that involve travel in some form or another.

Anyway, lets have a look at a few of my favourites (links will take you to my reviews):

The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien

You don't get many journeys more epic than the one that Bilbo Baggins takes with Gandalf and the dwarves when they travel across the mountains to take back their home! Full of adventure, magical creatures, dragons and treasure this is a book I've read many times over the years and I really enjoyed the recent film adaptation too. I'm looking forward to watching the next two movies.

The Clan of the Cave Bear - Jean M. Auel

Jean M. Auel's Earth's Children series has been one of my favourites since I was a teenager (the less said about the 6th and final book the better though!) and I've lost count of the number of times I've read them. The series is set around the time of the last ice age (35,000 years ago) and follows a young girl Ayla as she travels across whole continents in search of a place to call home. I love this series for the rich historical data but more for the emotional journey that Ayla goes on as she grows up and finds her place in the world.

From What I Remember - Stacy Kramer & Valerie Thomas

From What I Remember is a more traditional road trip story that shows how one of the school's hottest guys Max ends up in Mexico with geek girl Kylie. The book is absolutely hilarious and I loved every minute of it!

Tiger's Curse - Colleen Houck

Colleen Houck's Tiger series follows Kelsey on a journey across India as she tries to help brothers Ren and Kishan break a 300 year old curse. You get to visit various temples and the jungle, learn about some of the Indian gods and goddesses and fall in love with not one but two gorgeous Indian princes who have been cursed to spend the majority of their time living as tigers.

Between Shades of Gray - Ruta Sepetys

Between Shades of Gray is the heartbreaking story of a young Lithuanian girl called Lina and her family as they are captured by Soviet guards and forced to travel across Europe to a Siberian work camp in the Arctic circle. Set during WWII and based on true stories this book highlights the atrocities committed by Stalin and is an incredibly emotional read but it is a book that I can't recommend highly enough. If you haven't come across this book before take a few minutes to watch this video of the author Ruta Sepetys as she talks about the inspiration behind the story but make sure you have tissues to hand because you're sure to need them!


Ruta Sepetys discusses her upcoming novel, Between Shades of Gray from Penguin Young Readers Group on Vimeo.

A Conspiracy of Alchemists - Liesel Schwarz

Liesel Schwarz's steampunk adventure takes you across Europe stopping off at London, Paris, Venice and Constantinople. Main character Elle is a dirigible pilot so you'll get to fly in an airship but you also enjoy a luxury ride on the Orient Express!

Demons of the Ocean - Justin Somper

If you enjoy books aimed at a slightly younger audience or are looking for a fun family read then I'd definitely recommend Justin Somper's Vampirates series. Sail the seven seas with twins Grace and Connor in this futuristic world where the seas have risen and the waters are controlled by both pirates and vampirates (yes, you did read that right vampirates - vampires who are also pirates!)

Poison Princess - Kresley Cole

I love Kresley Cole's adult books so I was excited to get my hands on her first YA novel Poison Princess last year. Set in the future after an apocalyptic event that Evie had been having visions of before it happened this is a fab story and something that's really unique. Main characters are based on the Major Arcana cards found in a Tarot deck and each have different powers and abilities. Evie teams up with sexy Cajun Jack to try and search for answers and they travel across the country looking for the other main players.

Fire and Thorns - Rae Carson

Fire and Thorns is a fabulous fantasy adventure that follows princess Elisa when she is sent far from home to marry a man she has never met. Follow her epic journey across the desert as she fights to find a place for herself in a new country when she doesn't know who her enemies are.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

My last pick is a little bit of a cheat because although The Night Circus travels the world the focus of the story is much more on what is happening inside the circus than outside of it. It is such a beautiful novel that I couldn't resist including it anyway though and I can't recommend it highly enough!

So what books did you include on your list? Did we have any of the same picks? Leave me a link to your post in the comments and I'll stop by and check it out!

Review: Tiger's Voyage - Colleen Houck

With the head-to-head battle against the villainous Lokesh behind her, Kelsey confronts a new heartbreak: in the wake of his traumatic experience, her beloved Ren no longer remembers who she is.  As the trio continues their quest by challenging five cunning and duplicitous dragons, Ren and Kishan once more vie for her affections - leaving Kelsey more confused than ever.

Fraught with danger, filled with magic, and packed with romance, Tiger's Voyage brings Kelsey and her two tiger princes one step closer to breaking the curse.






The Tiger Saga:
Tiger's Curse
Tiger's Quest
Tiger's Voyage
Tiger's Destiny (2012)
Tiger's Dream (Release date unknown at this time)

Visit Colleen Houck's website for more information

Review:
Please note that although this review won't contain spoilers for Tiger's Voyage it may give away events in the previous books so if you haven't read Tiger's Curse and Tiger's Quest yet you may want to stop reading here.  This is one of my favourite YA paranormal series though so if you haven't started it yet I would highly recommend it!

I absolutely loved the first two books in this series so I can't tell you how excited I was to get my hands on this installment.  I love Colleen Houck's descriptive writing style (although I have to warn you that you will end up hungry reading about all the delicious foods she mentions!) and am always sucked straight into the story as soon as I pick up one of her books.  They are the kind of books that you don't want to put down despite their long length (this one is 543 pages long but that didn't stop me devouring it in a couple of days). 

I've really enjoyed finding out more about Indian mythology throughout the series and I loved the Chinese feel to this installment.  The journey the characters go on in search of the 5 dragons was great, the storyline is action packed and you never know quite what will happen next.  Each of the dragons was very different but fascinating in their own way and I enjoyed the various tasks that Kelsey, Ren & Kishan are given along the way.

I have to admit that I'm starting to get a little fed up with the love triangle in this series now though and I have to confess that Tiger's Voyage was my least favourite book in the series.  I have always been a firm team Ren member but I am getting a bit fed up with the way he keeps changing his mind.  He really does mess Kelsey around in this one and although you do find out the reasoning behind his behaviour it didn't really excuse it in my eyes.  I was also disappointed with Kelsey and the way she flitted back and forth between the two brothers, if Ren rejected her she runs straight to Kishan even though you can tell her heart isn't in it but then as soon as Ren shows an interest she goes running back to him.  I was irritated that Kelsey couldn't just stay single for more than 5 minutes.

Kishan has actually become my favourite character but I really don't want him and Kelsey to end up together - I feel like he would be the better choice for her in a lot of ways but I don't think he deserves to be treated so badly and hope he finds someone who is going to really love him not just use him as a Ren substitute.

Although this wasn't my favourite book this is still a series that I would highly recommend.  Ren and Kishan are both swoon worthy characters and I love the world that the author has created.  The stories are all full of action, romance and rich mythology and I'm still desperate to get my hands on Tiger's Destiny.

Source: Received from Hodder & Stoughton in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Publisher Spotlight: Hodder & Stoughton - September 2011 - March 2012 Releases

I thought it would be fun to start spotlighting new releases that different publishers have coming up over the next few months for us to look forward to.  I'm constantly looking for new books to add to my wish list and thought it would be a nice way of spreading the bookish love with other bloggers.  So stepping into the spotlight today we have . . .

Hodder & Stoughton have a fantastic range of YA titles over the next few months (and I'm going to mention a couple that are already available too!).  For more information check out the Hodder & Stoughton website.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor was published back in September but I had to include it in the list because I absolutely loved this book (you can read my review here).  If you haven't already picked this one up it is definitely a must read and I'm already dying to get my hands on the sequel!  You can find out more on Laini Taylor's website.

Errand requiring immediate attention.  Come.

The note was on vellum, pierced by the talons of the almost-crow that delivered it.  Karou read the message.  'He never says please', she sighed, but she gathered up her things.  When Brimstone called, she always came.

In general, Karou has managed to keep her two lives in balance.  On the one hand, she's a seventeen-year-old art student in Prague; on the other, errand-girl to a monstrous creature who is the closest thing she has to family.  Raised half in our world, half in 'Elsewhere', she has never understood Brimstone's dark work - buying teeth from hunters and murderers - nor how she came into his keeping.  She is a secret even to herself, plagued by the sensation that she isn't whole.

Now the doors to Elsewhere are closing, and Karou must choose between the safety of her human life and the dangers of a war-ravaged world that may hold the answers she has always sought.

Next we have the highly anticipated third book in the Tiger Saga series - Tiger's Voyage by Colleen Houck.  This was released a couple of days ago on the 10th of November and I've already started reading my copy.  I loved the first two books in this series Tiger's Curse and Tiger's Quest (click on the links to read my reviews) and it feels like I have been waiting forever for this one.  If you've not started this series yet then it's one I would highly recommend for paranormal romance fans!  Check out Colleen Houck's website for more information.

With the head-to-head battle against the villainous Lokesh behind her, Kelsey confronts a new heartbreak: in the wake of his traumatic experience, her beloved Ren no longer remembers who she is.  As the trio continues their quest by challenging five cunning and duplicitous dragons, Ren and Kishan once more vie for her affections - leaving Kelsey more confused than ever.

Fraught with danger, filled with magic, and packed with romance, Tiger's Voyage brings Kelsey and her two tiger princes one step closer to breaking the curse.






On the 5th of January you can look forward to the second book in Cate Tiernan's Immortal Beloved series - Darkness Falls.  I haven't started this series yet but have heard great things about the first book Immortal Beloved and will be reading my copy soon, I also have to mention how much I love the covers of these books - they're so pretty!  You can find out more at Cate Tiernan's website.

He was the thorn in my side, nightmare of my past, destroyer of my family, source of all my troubles, and the most beautiful guy I had seen in 450 years.

Are you dizzy from being flung into my world like this?  I feel the same way every morning when I open my eyes to find I'm still me, still here.

Still immortal.

Desire, death and painful secrets are revealed in this additively compulsive sequel to IMMORTAL BELOVED.








On the 2nd of February we have British author James Treadwell's debut novel Advent to look forward to.  I love stories about magic and am really looking forward to Advent, the description doesn't really give many clues to what the story will be about but gives just enough to raise my curiosity levels.  I really like the cover too!  For more information check out James Treadwell's website.

For centuries it has been locked away
Lost beneath the sea
Warded from earth, air, water, fire, spirits, thought and sight.

But now magic is rising to the world once more.

And a boy called Gavin, who thinks only that he is a city kid with parents who hate him, and knows only that he sees things no one else will believe, is boarding a train, alone, to Cornwall.

When he arrives, there is no one there to meet him.









On the 1st of March we have the release of one of my most anticipated books of 2012.  I loved Lauren Oliver's Delirium (read my review here) so have already been waiting months for the sequel Pandemonium.  I literally can not wait to get my hands on this one!  You can find out more about the series on Lauren Oliver's website.  There is no UK cover image available yet (I'll be sure to post it as soon as I can) but here is the blurb to whet your appetite:

Love, the deadliest of all deadly things.
It kills you when you have it.
And when you don't.

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.

Pandemonium is a poignant, explosive, recklessly romantic and utterly heartbreaking novel. Like Delirium, the first in the compelling trilogy, it will take you to the very edge. That's all you need to know. We'll let Lena do the rest of the talking . . .

Last but not least we have Gemma Malley's new book The Killables which will be available on the 29th of March.  This is the first book in a new trilogy and Gemma is currently working on the second book, visit her website for more information.  I love dystopian stories so this one looks like just my kind of thing and has been added to my wish list.  Again there is no cover image currently available but here is the blurb:

THE KILLABLES is set in the year 2065 and follows Evie and Raffy who work for the government in a society where evil no longer exists. After a war on terror that almost destroyed the world, The City has been established, where brain surgery removes the potential for evil thought and citizens are labelled on The System according to how 'good' they are. Evie and Raffy are both System operators and discover a mistake when an academic has been labelled a K, the label given to dangerous criminals. But as they investigate further they discover that it wasn't a mistake; that The City has secrets and a dark side that the government will hide at all costs. They are horrified to discover that 'K' stands for 'Killable' - the state's mark of death. And then Evie gets another K report to change on the System. Only this time it's for Raffy...

So what do you think?  I told you Hodder & Stoughton have some exciting books for us!  Which of these is at the top of your wish list?

Review: Tiger's Quest - Colleen Houck

Back in Oregon, Kelsey tries to pick up the pieces of her life and push aside her feelings for Ren.  But danger lurks around the corner, forcing her to return to India where she embarks on a second quest.  This time with Ren's dark, bad-boy brother Kishan, who has also fallen prey to the Tiger's Curse.

Fraught with danger, spellbinding dreams, and choices of the heart, Tiger's Quest brings the trio one step closer to breaking the spell that binds them.

The Tiger Saga:
Tiger's Curse
Tiger's Quest
Tiger's Voyage
Tiger's Destiny (2012)
Tiger's Dream (Release date unknown at this time)

Visit Colleen Houck's website for more information

Review:
Kelsey has gone back home to start college and is desperately trying to forget about Ren, even trying to date other boys hoping to move on.  Ren isn't easy to get over though and when he follows her to Oregon her old feelings soon come flooding back.  They don't have much time together before their enemy is on their trail and when Ren is captured it is up to Kelsey to complete the next task and try to find a way to rescue him.  She is going to need the help of Ren's brother Kishan but will they be able to get Ren back?

I loved Tiger's Curse so couldn't wait to get my hands on Tiger's Quest, I was desperate to know what happened to the characters next.  I didn't want Kelsey to leave Ren and found myself annoyed with her that she left him behind and returned to America on her own.  I did understand her feelings though, she was so insecure because she didn't think Ren would have chosen her if she hadn't helped him.  I was thrilled when Ren arrived on the scene, I love watching the two of them interact and although I wanted to bang their heads together at times it was sweet watching them date and take things slowly.  It made a nice change from a lot of YA romances where the couples usually meet and become serious about each other within a few pages.

It was also good to see more of Kishan and get to know him better.  He is a great character, the opposite of his brother in so many ways but although he has a bad boy attitude he can actually be quite sweet underneath it all.  Kelsey is definitely going to have a difficult decision on her hands when it comes to which of her tigers she picks but I'm still firmly on team Ren and will be gutted for him if it goes any other way.  The action in the story is just as good as the first installment and I was gripped to the book from the moment I picked it up until I'd finished it.  Colleen Houck is quickly becoming one of my favourite authors although the wait for the next book may just kill me after that cliffhanger ending!  If you haven't started this series yet then it's one I would highly recommend.

Source: Received from Hodder & Stoughton in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Review: Tiger's Curse - Colleen Houck

Passion.  Fate.  Loyalty.
Would you risk it all to change your destiny?

The last thing Kelsey Hayes thought she'd be doing this summer was trying to break a 300-year-old Indian curse.  With a mysterious white tiger named Ren.  Halfway around the world.

But that's exactly what happened.

Face-to-face with dark forces, spell-binding magic, and mystical worlds where nothing is what it seems, Kelsey risks everything to piece together an ancient prophecy that could break the curse forever.

Tiger's Curse is the exciting first volume in an epic fantasy-romance that will leave you breathless and yearning for more.

The Tiger Saga:
Tiger's Curse
Tiger's Quest
Tiger's Voyage
Tiger's Destiny (2012)
Tiger's Dream (Release date unknown at this time)

Visit Colleen Houck's website for more information

Review:
Kelsey is just looking for a summer job to save money for college when she finds herself working for a circus and spending time with a beautiful white tiger.  Little does she realise that Ren is actually an Indian prince who was cursed and has spent the last 300 years as a tiger living in captivity.  With Kelsey's help Ren must travel to India and try to find a way to break the curse.

As soon as I read the description of Tiger's Curse I knew I had to read it and I'm so glad I did!  I love paranormal stories and shape shifters in particular but what I enjoyed most about Tiger's Curse is that it is so different from anything else I've read.  Due to the curse Ren is only able to spend a short amount of time each day in his human form, the rest of the time he is a beautiful white tiger unable to communicate with those around him.  I loved that most of the story takes place in India, this is somewhere I've always wanted to visit but now even more so.  Colleen Houck has done a fantastic job of describing the settings and it was easy to picture the jungle and the temples Kelsey and Ren visited.  She has also woven a lot of Indian mythology and legends into the story which I found fascinating to read.

I liked Kelsey as the main character, she was a little too naive to start with but soon becomes more aware of the dangers she faces.  Throughout the book she is a strong heroine and she is determined to do whatever it takes to help Ren and free him from his curse.  Ren is a hero to swoon over and I'll admit I may have fallen just a little bit in love with him!  I loved watching their relationship develop but I was pleased that although Kelsey is immediately drawn to Ren she is also very aware of the fact that she doesn't know him well and doesn't instantly start declaring her love for him like some of the heroines I've read about.  I've said before that instant lust I can relate to but instant love doesn't usually come across as believable to me.  If the gorgeous Ren wasn't enough to make you weak at the knees you also have his handsome brother Kishan to contend with.  I'll admit I'm still a bit wary of Kishan but I understand we'll get to see a lot more of him in the sequel and I'm curious to find out more about him.

Tiger's Curse is the kind of book I wanted to devour in one sitting (even if it does have 500 pages!), if I'd had a whole day free I would have done nothing but read the story and I'm desperate to get started on the next book Tiger's Quest.  If you're looking for a story full of romance, in a beautiful setting with an adventure that will remind you of Indiana Jones look no further.  I'd recommend this book to anyone and am off to read the sequel now!

Source: Received from Hodder & Stoughton in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
Confessions of the Un-Published
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.