February 2011 Recap

Here is the list of books I read in February: (The links will take you to my reviews)

1. Wereworld: Rise of the Wolf - Curtis Jobling (read in Jan, reviewed in Feb)
2. Unknown - Rachel Caine (read in Jan, reviewed in Feb)
3. If I Stay - Gayle Forman (read in Jan, reviewed in Feb)
4. Witchfinder: Gallows at Twilight - William Hussey (read in Jan, reviewed in Feb)
5. His Darkest Embrace - Juliana Stone
6. Siren - Tricia Rayburn
7. The Thirteen Treasures - Michelle Harrison
8. Soulless - Gail Carriger
9. Reveal Me - Cari Quinn (Novella)
10. Across the Universe - Beth Revis
11. The Clan of the Cave Bear - Jean M Auel (review coming soon)
12. Summer - Eden Maguire
13. The Iron King - Julie Kagawa
14. Magic Under Glass - Jaclyn Dolamore
15. Tempest Rising - Nicole Peeler
16. The Valley of Horses - Jean M Auel (review coming soon)
17. Darkfever - Karen Marie Moning (review coming soon)
18. The Kissing Game - Aidan Chambers (review coming soon)

February Books of the Month:

My top 2 YA reads in February:

Siren by Tricia Rayburn (read my review here)

Across the Universe by Beth Revis (read my review here)

My top adult reads in February:

Soulless by Gail Carriger (read my review here)

Tempest Rising by Nicole Peeler (read my review here)

Event Reports:

I've been lucky enough to attend a few fab events in February, if you'd like to read my event reports you can find them here:

• The RHCB blogger brunch was actually in January but I only got my event report posted this month.  We found out about some fantastic new releases that RHCB have planned for 2011 and got to celebrate the release of The Iron Witch with debut author Karen Mahoney.  You can find out all about the event here
• I was also very excited to attend the Simon & Schuster blogger event where we were given the chance to chat with 7 of their authors - Justin Somper, Michelle Harrison, Sophie McKenzie, Craig Robertson, Milly Johnson, Helen Warner & Kevin J Anderson.  It was a great evening & you can read my write up here
• Another event I was incredibly excited to attend was organised by Hodder & Stoughton to celebrate the release of The Land of Painted Caves by Jean M Auel (the last book in the Earth's Children series) and held at the National History Museum.  During the afternoon a group of fans of the series were invited to help an artist create a picture of the main character Ayla.  The first print run of The Land of Painted Caves will be released with a special cover that you can hold up to a webcam to see a special 3D version of Ayla based on the picture we came up with.  Then in the evening there was an event with Jean M Auel and Professor Chris Stringer from the NHM talking about the science behind the series followed by a book signing.  I have been a massive fan of the Earth's Children series for about 10 years now so attending this event and getting to meet Jean Auel was incredibly exciting.  I'm planning a big blog event about the series so you'll have to wait a little longer before you can read my event write up but hopefully it will be worth the wait!

Author's Animal Antics:

We had a couple of great posts for the Author's Animal Antics so this feature this month (you can find out more about the feature here).  I'd like to say a massive thanks to all of the authors who have taken part in this feature!

• Beth Revis tells us how her dog got his name
• Julie Kagawa talks about the the cat who inspired Grimalkin

Challenge Updates:

So these are the challenges I've decided to sign up for in 2011 (I may well end up adding others as the year goes on but we'll see what happens)

2011 100+ Reading Challenge - Read 25/100
2011 Horror & Urban Fantasy Challenge - Read 14/24
2011 Support Your Local Library Challenge - Read 4/25
2011 Debut Author Challenge - Read 8/12
2011 British Books Challenge - Read 9/12
2011 New Author Challenge - Read 16/50
NAC Mini Challenge - Steampunk (Feb 2011) - Read 2/5 COMPLETE (This challenge was to read up to 5 steampunk books in February, I knew I wouldn't have time to read 5 so I'm happy with my total of 2)

Simon & Schuster Blogger Event - 3rd February 2011

Last month I was extremely lucky to be invited to attend Simon & Schuster's 2nd blogger event and get to meet some of their authors.  I went up to London early to meet up with Sammee, Lyndsey and Vicky (you should know by now that I can never resist a trip to the massive Waterstone's in Piccadilly for a little book shopping!) and then we joined up with Carly, Becky & Dwayne for coffee and a catch up before the event.  Luckily Jenny was able to meet us and direct us to the S&S offices as I don't think I'd ever have found it otherwise.

The event was split into 2 parts the first being a Q&A panel with authors Helen Warner (RSVP), Craig Robertson (Random), Michelle Harrison (The 13 Treasures series), Justin Somper (Vampirates series), Sophie McKenzie (Girl, Missing), Milly Johnson (A Summer Fling) and Kevin J Anderson (Hellhole).  All of the bloggers had been given the opportunity to send in questions and it was really interesting listening to the authors chat about how and when they find the time to write, how they come up with their ideas and what they're going to be working on next.  I wish I'd thought to take notes about what was said but I was too busy taking pictures and just enjoying listening to the panel.

After the panel we were taken through to what I'm guessing was the conference room where S&S had laid on a fab spread of drinks and nibbles for us to munch on while we mingled.  There may also have been a large selection of books that we were allowed to raid and I may possibly have got a little carried away and ended up practically pulling my arms out of their sockets trying to drag my haul back to the train station but I'm not going to either confirm or deny those rumors!  It was lovely to get to spend time chatting with the bloggers I knew, unfortunately there were so many people there that I didn't get to meet so I'm sorry if I missed you.

The nicest thing was how approachable all of the authors were, I was able to spend a few minutes chatting to each of them and got all of my books signed.  I've already started reading the 13 Treasures series by Michelle Harrison and the Vampirates series by Justin Somper but I'm looking forward to reading books by each of the other authors who were there.  I'm sure I'll end up adding a few more favorites to my list!  As you can probably tell by the slide shows I got a little carried away with my camera, if you'd like to look at all the pictures I took you can find them online here

I'd like to say a massive thank you to Kat, Ally, Catherine and everyone else from Simon & Schuster who worked so hard to set up a wonderful event.  Thanks also to all of the authors too for taking the time to chat to us crazy bloggers (we aren't really crazy fan girl stalkers honest!).

Who Was There:

Kat, Ally & Catherine - Simon & Schuster
Craig Robertson - Author Page on S&S Website
Helen Warner - Author Page on S&S Website
Justin Somper - Vampirates Website
Kevin J Anderson - Blog
Michelle Harrison - Website
Milly Johnson - Website
Sophie McKenzie - Website

Amanda - Floor to Ceiling Books - Event Report
Becky - The Bookette

Carly - Writing From The Tub

Dwayne - Girls Without a Bookshelf

Jenny - Wondrous Reads

Liz & Mark - My Favorite Books
Lyndsey & Vicky - Heaven, Hell and Purgatory Book Reviews
Lynsey - Narratively Speaking
Matt - Teen Librarian
Sammee - I Want To Read That
(There were a lot of other bloggers there & I didn't catch all of your names so if I've missed you off let me know & I'll add your link)

Review: Tempest Rising - Nicole Peeler

Living in small town Rockabill, Maine, Jane True always knew she didn't quite fit in with so-called normal society.

During her nightly, clandestine swim in the freezing winter ocean, a grisly find leads Jane to startling revelations about her heritage: she is only half-human.

Now, Jane must enter a world filled with supernatural creatures that are terrifying, beautiful and deadly - all of which perfectly describe her new 'friend' Ryu, a gorgeous and powerful vampire.

It is a world where nothing can be taken for granted: a dog can heal you with a lick, spirits bag your groceries and whatever you do, never - ever - rub the genie's lamp.

The Jane True Series:
Tempest Rising
Tracking the Tempest
Tempest's Legacy (August 2011)
Eye of the Tempest (October 2011)
Tempest's Fury (TBC)

Visit Nicole Peeler's website for more information

Review:
Jane has always been considered an outsider in her hometown, ostracised because of her mother's behaviour and a tragic incident when she was just a teenager, she has become used to the stares and whispers and tries hard to fit in and not draw attention to herself.  She keeps her nightly swims in the icy cold ocean a secret knowing that people wouldn't understand her need to be in the water.  When she finds a dead body she is unwittingly drawn into a world of supernatural creatures that she thought only existed in stories but the most shocking discovery is that she is only half human herself.  Trying to make sense of a world turned upside down isn't easy - especially when someone is murdering halflings and it looks like you're next on their list.  Luckily she has her new boyfriend, vampire Ryu, and her newly discovered supernatural friends to support her but can they find the killer before it is too late?

I'll happily admit that it was the cover that drew me to Tempest Rising and made me want to read it but I'm pleased to say that it is the writing and the characters that will make me continue with the series.  I love urban fantasy stories and have read a lot of them over the years but Tempest Rising stands out for it's range of unusual supernatural creatures - I'm not going to tell you which ones so you'll have to read it for yourself to find out - some that I've heard of and others that I've never come across in UF before.  Nicole Peeler has created a world that I want to spend more time in with characters that I'm looking forward to getting to know better.

Jane is a unique heroine with a likable voice and a sense of humor that had me laughing out loud.  She is completely out of her depth in the supernatural world that she is just starting to discover and I liked the fact that she had a vulnerable side to her and isn't just your standard kick ass heroine.  That isn't to say that she is a weak character, she is actually a lot stronger than she thinks she is and I'm looking forward to seeing her blossom even more as she comes to terms with what she is and learns about her abilities.  Love interest Ryu is a sexy but mysterious character and although I liked him and Jane together I do feel like I need to get to know him better.  I'm sure he has some secrets and can't wait to discover what they are.

There is a whole range of fun (and in some cases completely insane) characters that I'm looking forward to spending more time with.  I enjoyed the fact that there are so many unusual supernaturals but that there are also some important human characters who are there for Jane.  I wouldn't say the story is particularly fast paced but it was still a quick read with wonderful world building.  Although I enjoyed the murder mystery it was the characters and mythology that captivated me and left me wanting more.  If you're a fan of urban fantasy and like a humor filled story with strong characters and a little spice I would definitely recommend giving Tempest Rising a try.

Source: Received from Orbit 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.

Author's Animal Antics - Karen Mahoney + International Giveaway

Author's Animal Antics is a regular blog feature here at Feeling Fictional where I'm very excited to have some fantastic authors come and chat to us about their pets or share animal related stories.  I'm thrilled to introduce the lovely Karen Mahoney as my guest today...

**************************************************

Feline Muses by Karen Mahoney

It’s so nice to be asked to write a blog post on something other than my book – it makes a change. Thank you, Sarah!

Sarah asked if I have any pets, to which I can proudly reply: yes! I have two cats, Felix and Logan, who are now six years old. We’ve had them since they were very tiny kittens, and they’re brothers… even though they don’t look it. They really are from the same litter…

Even though Felix (named because he’s always up to some kind of mischief) is considered by most people as ‘my baby,’ I also have a strong bond with Logan (named after Wolverine from the X-Men because of his long claws). Logan had to have one of his back legs amputated when he was three, after a terrible accident, but he has bounced back amazingly well. He’s such a fighter, so he definitely has the right name!

While he was recovering from his operation I was actually writing the very first draft of The Iron Witch, and Logan would lay behind me on the radiator so I could reach over and touch him every so often. I’m sure he helped me to write the book – I was even going to put him in the Acknowledgements, but I thought that was probably unfair to Felix. I couldn’t leave him out… ;)

Especially for Sarah and her blog readers, I dug out some of my old photos of “The Boys” (as we call them) from their life growing up as Mahoney Cats. Enjoy!

They both like to climb:

But that can get pretty exhausting…

The birds have to be very careful, too!

Although Christmas is always entertaining…

**************************************************

Thanks so much for your lovely guest post Kaz, your boys are adorable!  I love their names too Felix looks just like the scamp in the adverts and I love the name Logan - it would suit my cat perfectly if she was a boy as she definitely has the Wolverine claws!  Thanks for letting me share these wonderful pictures :o)

Freak.

That's what they call seventeen-year-old Donna Underwood at Ironbridge High School.  A horrific fey attack that killed her father when she was just a child left Donna branded with iron tattoos that cover her hands and arms - and magically enhanced strength, that she does all she can to hide.

Now, after ten years of wishing for a normal life, Donna finally accepts her role in the centuries-old war against the darkest outcasts of Faerie - the dark elves.  Aided by Xan, a gorgeous half-fey dropout, Donna must save her best friend's life - and that means betraying one of the world's greatest secrets and confronting the very thing that destroyed her family.

Karen Mahoney's debut novel The Iron Witch was released in the UK and the US in January and is the first book in her new Iron Witch series. This is a fantastic debut with a strong heroine and a very hot love interest and I would highly recommend you check it out.  You can read my full review of The Iron Witch here

Find out more about Karen and her work here - Website / Blog / Twitter

For more information about the Author's Animal Antics feature click here

Giveaway Details:

I loved this book so much that I bought an extra copy of the limited edition Waterstones version (with lovely gold shiny edges to the pages that match the cover perfectly) for a giveaway.  Kaz very kindly signed this extra copy for me at the RHCB blogger brunch. 

• I'm keeping this giveaway really simple so all you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this post for Kaz.
• The giveaway is international so anyone can enter
• You have until the 20th of March 2011 to enter and winner will be announced soon afterwards on my blog.
• The winner will have 48 hours to contact me with their address or a new winner will be chosen.
• There are no extra entries for following or spreading the word but if you choose to do either I'll appreciate it :o)

Winners: 1st Blogoversary Giveaways for 9 signed books

With the help of random.org I can now announce the winners of by 1st blogoversary giveaways!  There was such an amazing response to the giveaways so thank you all for entering and helping to spread the word.  Congratulations to all of the winners!

Giveaway 1 - Fallen & Torment by Lauren Kate:

I had left it up to you to decide if there would be 1 winner receiving both books or 2 winners receiving 1 book each.  I took the following screen shot of the poll results after the giveaway closed and as you can see the result was 1 winner

So I can confirm that the winner who will receive signed ARC copies of both Fallen and Torment by Lauren Kate is:

Laura Soucek (email address starting noevus32@...)

Giveaway 2 - Entangled by Cat Clarke:

Winning a signed ARC of Entangled by Cat Clarke along with a cover flat is:



Julie Renaudin (email address starting pique.a.chou@)

Giveaway 3 - A Summer Fling by Milly Johnson:

Winning a signed copy of A Summer Fling by Milly Johnson is:

.Ambur. (email address starting ambiepie_6@)

Giveaway 4 - Girl Missing by Sophie McKenzie:

Winning a signed copy of A Girl Missing by Sophie McKenzie is:

Alice Reed (email address starting ccs_bm@)

Giveaway 5 - Randon & Hellhole:

This giveaway was UK only unless international entrants were prepared to pay postage costs because of the weight of these books.  If you are an international winner of one of these books I will let you know how much postage will cost when I know your address, I will pay the postage cost if you are a UK winner.

Winning a signed hardback copy of Randon by Craig Robinson is:

NatD23 (email address starting natlovestoread@)

Winning a large paperback of Hellhole by Brian Herbert & Kevin J Anderson (signed by Kevin J Anderson) is:

Melodie (email address starting ashlinn_riddle@)

Giveaway 6 - Shiver & Linger by Maggie Stiefvater:

Again I left it up to you to vote on how many winners there would be and as you can see from the screenshot below you voted for 1 winner

So winning signed UK copies of Shiver & Linger by Maggie Stiefvater we have:

Nina (email address starting nina.happyendings@)

 

Congratulations to you all!  If you can email me at sarahsreviews at ymail dot com with your full address I will get your books posted to you.  If I don't hear from you within 48 hours then new winners will be chosen.

Review: Beautiful Dead book 3 - Summer - Eden Maguire

Not alive.  Not dead.  Somewhere in between lie the Beautiful Dead.

Six months have passed since the last mysterious teenage death, but Darina is still traumatized by the murders of Summer Madison and her own beloved Phoenix.  She searches constantly for the Beautiful Dead, longing for their return.

Springtime sees Darina once more in Phoenix's arms.  But spring is also a reminder of the hail of bullets that killed Summer in a random shopping mall shooting almost a year ago.

Can Darina and the Beautiful Dead catch Summer's crazed killer?  Will Darina's love for Phoenix survive the task?  One thing is clear - it's not finished yet, not by a long shot ...

Beautiful Dead Series:
Jonas
Arizona
Summer
Phoenix

Visit the Beautiful Dead website for more information

Review:
It's been nearly a year since Darina's friend Summer was killed in a random shooting at a shopping mall.  Darina was a witness to the shooting and now it is up to her to try and find the killer so that Summer can finally rest in peace.  Was the shooting really as random as it seemed and if it was how on earth is Darina supposed to track down the killer?  At the same time she must cope with her grief over the death of her boyfriend Phoenix and prepare herself for when he must leave her forever.

This is the 3rd book in the Beautiful Dead series and although you can probably read it as a stand alone story I think you'll find it easier to follow the background story if you read the books in order.  I don't think there was much information about what the Beautiful Dead actually are in this installment so you may find it confusing if you're new to the series.

Darina is still struggling to deal with both her grief at the deaths of her boyfriend and her friends but also with the existence of the Beautiful Dead.  It's been about 4 months since she helped Arizona solve the mystery of her death and since that time she has had no contact with Phoenix or any of the other Beautiful Dead.  She is plagued with doubts about whether they really exist or if they were a product of her grief fueled imagination.  I understand that she is desperately missing Phoenix and would do anything to spend time with him again but I have to confess I was hoping she would have started to deal with things better by now.  I'm beginning to get a little bored with her attitude and the way she is acting and it's putting me off picking up the final book in the series.

One of the things that annoys me most is the way that the Beautiful Dead (Hunter in particular) treat her.  They need her help in order to investigate the deaths but Hunter is completely unwilling to allow her access to the Beautiful Dead and doesn't want her spending time with Phoenix.  The way he is constantly threatening her and being so nasty grates on my nerves and if I was in Darina's position I think I would have walked away from the whole mess and told them to sort out their own problems.  I'd really like to see Darina stand up for herself a bit more but it's hard when Hunter is holding all the cards and she misses Phoenix so much.

While this is a series I like I'd have to say it isn't one that I love.  The plot was a little slow to get going but was interesting once it built up momentum.  I enjoyed the mystery surrounding Summer's death but had guessed fairly early on who was behind it.  There was one particular plot line about Logan that really annoyed me - how could that have been allowed to happen? - but it was definitely a twist that I hadn't expected.  While I am starting to get a little bored with the series the books are quick and easy reads that I get through in 1 or 2 sessions and I will definitely read the final book at some point because I want to know how the overall story arc plays out.

Source: Library

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.

UK Giveaway: Limited Edition copy of Long Reach by Peter Cocks - NOW CLOSED

* UPDATE - THIS GIVEAWAY HAS NOW ENDED - Winners announced here *

"We found him face down in the mud at Long Reach.  Near the Dartford Bridge.  Looks like he might have jumped off."

Eddie Savage makes two shocking discoveries in quick succession.

One: his brother, Steve, has been working undercover.
Two: Steve is dead.

Eddie refuses to believe that his hero elder brother killed himself, and there's only one way to find out the truth: follow in his footsteps.

There's a job: to infiltrate the notoriously violent Kelly family.
There's a girl: the boss's daughter - beautiful, sexy, dangerous.

Before long, Eddie is up to his neck in Kelly business and sinking fast.

Love London. Love this book.

Walker Books to hand deliver 2,000 limited edition copies of London based crime novel Long Reach direct to London’s East End streets.

Walker Books will go undercover on 2nd March in a bid to get London reading for World Book Day. Peter Cocks, author of the East-End gangland novel Long Reach, will assume the identity of Long Reach’s Godfather-esque gangster Tommy Kelly and drive a white van (what else?) through London’s East End distributing 2,000 exclusive Limited London Edition copies of his new novel.

The drop-offs will target teens and adults and include ten schools, fire stations, doctor’s surgeries, police stations and boxing clubs in Newham and Deptford; both key locations in the book, a drop off on the London Underground will also be included. The aim is to reach new readers and remind people that sometimes books can be the best way of discovering what goes on in your neighbourhood!

This isn’t the first time author and actor Peter Cocks has slipped into character – he stars as Tommy Kelly in the movie-style trailer for the book as well, found at www.undercoverreads.com

Long Reach is a gritty thriller set in London and Kent and introduces an electric new literary character in undercover teen agent Eddie Savage who girls will lust after and lads will want to be. It is the first title in Walker’s Undercover Campaign.

Peter Cocks has written extensively for television including comedy, drama and animation, he is also an actor appearing in dramas, commercials and children’s television in a variety of disguises. He has also worked as a model for Hermes. Peter lives on the Kent coast with his wife, two children and three dachshunds. Long Reach is his first thriller.

I read and loved Long Reach earlier this year (you can read my review here) so I'm very excited to be able to host a giveaway for 2 copies of the limited edition version of Long Reach for 2 lucky UK winners!  Thanks to Walker Books for allowing me to host the giveaway.

Giveaway details:

• This giveaway is for UK residents only
• 2 winners will each receive a limited edition copy of Long Reach by Peter Cocks, books will be sent out directly by my contact at Walker Books so winners must give permission for me to forward their contact details.
• Winners will be chosen at random from all entries received. 
• Only 1 entry per person please, multiple entries will be deleted.
• To enter please enter your name and email address in the form below
• The giveaway will close on the 6th March 2011 and winners will be contacted soon afterwards.  You will have 48 hours to contact me with your address or new winners will be chosen.