The Other Life Launch Party - 1st February 2012

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A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to be invited to the launch party for Susanne Winnacker's debut novel The Other Life hosted by Usborne.  The Other Life is a fabulous dystopian read (watch out for my review which will be posted later today) so I was really excited to meet Susanne.  I met up with Sammee and we made our way to The Soho Hotel where we were greeted by Amy, Rebecca & Anna from Usborne who introduced us to Susanne.

Me with Susanne Winnacker

I have to say Susanne was absolutely lovely, she is so friendly and was happy to answer all of our questions.  I was excited to hear that she has already finished the sequel to The Other Life (called The Life Beyond) but I'm afraid we're going to have to wait until 2013 to actually get our hands on it.  Susanne confirmed that there will only be two books in the series so The Life Beyond will be the resolution to Sherry and Joshua's story.  She has already written her third novel too which she said is something completely different to The Other Life but we weren't really able to get much more information from her about it yet.

I found it really interesting that Susanne said her German publisher is currently translating the novel into German.  I had assumed that she would have written the novel in her native language and was really impressed when she said she wrote in English.  I can't imagine how hard it is to write a book, let alone to write one in a foreign language!  Talking to her you can tell how fluently she speaks English but there is a big difference between speaking a language and writing in it.  Susanne said that she has always been interested in American and British cultures, she has spent a lot of time travelling in the states and would love to move there if it wasn't for her husband's job.  When she started writing she met her critique partners online and (I think) they are all American so it seemed logical for her to write in English.

Along with getting to spend time chatting with Susanne and the lovely Usborne ladies we were well and truly spoilt with delicious sandwiches and cakes to nibble on along with a beautiful cupcake to take home that had the red butterfly from The Other Life cover on the top.  I have to confess my cupcake was rather battered by the time I got it home (it didn't like being bashed around in my bag!) but it still tasted just as delicious.

Back: me, Sammee, Casey, Leanne, Nicole & Hayley

Front: Susanne Winnacker

I'd like to say a massive thanks to everyone at Usborne for a fabulous afternoon and to Susanne for spending so much time chatting to us.  If you haven't already picked up your copy of The Other Life it's definitely a book I'd recommend so make sure you come back later to read my review!

Who Was There?

Amy, Rebecca & Anna - Usborne

Susanne Winnacker - Website

Casey & Hayley - Dark Readers - Event Report

Leanne - District YA

Nicole - The Reluctant Hypersomniac

Sammee - I Want To Read That

Review: The Dead of the Night - John Marsden

Would you give up everything?
Would you fight?
Would you sacrifice life itself?

When their country is invaded and their families are taken, eight high school teenagers band together to fight.

Seventeen-year-old Ellie and her friends have survived the invasion, but Kevin is imprisoned and Corrie is alive, but in a coma.

Homer and Ellie are determined to get them back and to continue their campaign against the enemy.  As the pressure grows, can Ellie work out her conflicted feelings for the brilliant, arrogant Homer and the strong, gentle Lee?

As war rages, and the enemy closes in, Ellie and her friends must once again fight for their lives . . . but how many of their band will be left?

A truly involving story about the incredible challenges of warfare, amid the intensity of first love.

Tomorrow Series:
Tomorrow, When the War Began
The Dead of the Night
The Third Day, the Frost
Darkness, Be My Friend
Burning For Revenge
The Night Is For Hunting
The Other Side of Dawn

Visit John Marsden's website for more information

Review:
The Dead of the Night picks up the story a couple of weeks after the ending of Tomorrow, When the War Began and we re-join Ellie and her friends at their camp in Hell.  The loss of two members of their group has been a huge blow to them, especially coming after the high brought by their successful mission to destroy the bridge.  The remaining six have been hiding at their camp licking their wounds but the time has come for them to face the outside world again.  They need to try and discover what has happened to their missing friends, it is time to try and gather more supplies and they are ready to find another way to fight back at the enemy who has invaded their hometown.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series so was looking forward to continuing my journey with Ellie and her friends.  The story continues to be narrated by Ellie who is keeping a written record of events for the future.  Picking up this series is like reading Ellie's personal diary, she is honest to a fault and although everything is her personal opinion she doesn't shy away from the darker things that they all have to do to survive.  Although the others chose Ellie to write their story they aren't all happy with the things she has written and it was interesting to see how the group dynamics changed because of that.

This series continues to put it's main characters into incredibly dangerous situations, they all show a great deal of strength and determination to survive, they each have to face difficult moral dilemmas and have to decide just what lengths they are prepared to go to in order to fight their enemies.  I enjoyed the story for it's action and the creative ways the teens come up with to go into battle but I think what I like most is the fact that it raises so many questions.  The series really makes you think and leaves you pondering what you would do in a similar situation long after you finish reading.

Another thing I'm really enjoying is the setting, I love the Australian slang and getting a feel for the bush and farmland surrounding Wirrawee.  I don't think I've read many books set in Australia, well not ones that give such an impression of the land anyway, so it's making a nice change for me.  I'm really looking forward to continuing the series and finding out what happens to the group next, can they continue to survive when the enemy is surrounding them?

Source: Received from Quercus 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: Tomorrow, When the War Began - John Marsden

The astonishing adventure begins . . .

Seventeen-year-old Ellie Linton wants one final adventure with her friends before the school holidays are over.  Packed in Ellie's parents' Land-Rover, they drive to a famously beautiful camp in the hills.

Returning to their homne town of Wirrawee, the seven teenagers realise that something is seriously wrong.  Their world has changed forever.

Would you give up everything?  Would you fight?  Would you sacrifice life itself?

Tomorrow When the War Began asks the questions you may one day have to answer.

Tomorrow Series:
Tomorrow, When the War Began
The Dead of the Night
The Third Day, the Frost
Darkness, Be My Friend
Burning For Revenge
The Night Is For Hunting
The Other Side of Dawn

Visit John Marsden's website for more information

Review:
When Ellie arranges to go on a camping trip with a group of friends it is supposed to just be a week of fun before they have to go back to normal school life.  The last thing they expect is to come home to a town that has been deserted, the phones aren't working, there is no electricity and their families have all vanished.  As they investigate they soon discover that the town has been invaded and the townspeople have been taken prisoner.  With their country now at war Ellie and her friends must use their wits to survive but should they run and hide or stand and fight?

I've heard so many good things about Tomorrow, When the War Began and I really wanted to see the film when it came out last year but I refuse to watch the film before reading the book.  It's taken me a while but I finally read the story but I'm really glad I did.  As the first book in a series much of the story is introducing us to the main characters.  There is a good selection of different personalities and for once, out of a group of 8 teens, there wasn't a single character that I really disliked.  Obviously some are more likable than others but there was no one I absolutely hated.  I'll admit that the romances that start to develop seem to happen a bit too quickly but I guess if you found yourself in the situation these teens do then you probably would look for comfort wherever you could find it.

The story isn't always comfortable reading, there are times when the group face difficult life or death decisions and the choices that they make will have lasting consequences.  They will have to fight for survival and then deal with the emotional fallout of taking another life to save their own.  The book really does make you think about just how far you would be willing to go to protect yourself and your friends.  What would you do to rescue your family?  There are times when you really feel the danger that they are all in and you start to worry about the chance of them all surviving.

Despite the difficult subject matter I found Tomorrow, When the War Began to be a quick and easy read.  The reason it makes you feel so uncomfortable at times is because it feels so realistic, you are pulled into the story and it becomes easy to imagine that the war has really happened.  When an author is able to make me believe I'm going through things with the characters I know I'm reading a good book.  I'm looking forward to continuing the series to see what happens next and I definitely want to watch the film now too!

Source: Received from Quercus 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: Daylight Saving - Edward Hogan

When Daniel Lever accompanies his dad to the Leisure World Holiday Complex, his expectations are low.  But then he sees a mysterious girl by the fake lake and everything changes.  Lexi is funny and smart, but why does she have wounds that get worse each time they meet?  And is her watch really going backwards?

As the end of British Summer Time approaches, Daniel has to act quickly.  Their souls depend on it.

Visit Edward Hogan's page on Goodreads for more information.


Review:
When Daniel is taken to Leisure World by his father it really is his worst nightmare rather than an ideal fun family holiday.  Overweight and unfit Daniel isn't a fan of sports and isn't looking forward to days full of tennis, cycling and swimming.  After meeting Lexi things start to change, he is drawn to this mysterious girl and wants to uncover her secrets.  What caused her injuries and why do they get worse every time he sees her?  Is there any way he can protect her from something that has already happened?

On the surface Daylight Saving is a ghost story but underneath that Edward Hogan explores issues of family connections, alcholism and self confidence.  Daniel is a character who is easy to relate to, he isn't your typical handsome hero but he has an inner strength that shines through as the story progresses.  We get to see him grow from an unsure and shy teenager into a brave and confident young man and it was a pleasure to see the changes in him.  Although Daniel's main goal is to try and help Lexi he learns a lot about himself and this helps him come to terms with the separation of his parents.  His relationship with his father also changes a great deal as events bring them closer together than they've been in a long time.

I really enjoyed the way the author has made use of the extra hour given at the end of British Summer Time as such an important part of the story.  I don't think I've seen time used in quite the same way before and it added an interesting dimension to the story.  You are aware that this hour is going to have a big impact on both Daniel and Lexi but you have no idea how things will work out.  I also really liked the Leisure World setting, I've never been to Centre Parcs but it had a similar feel to family holidays spent at Butlins which brought back some fun memories.  The setting is like an extra character in the story and nothing about it is quite what it first seems, instead of being a family friendly location it has quite a sinister feel to it.

The story moves along at a good pace making Daylight Saving a fast and fun read.  There are plenty of twists to the story and it takes you in a direction you won't be expecting.  An enjoyable YA debut from Edward Hogan that has made me curious about his adult books and has me looking forward to seeing what he comes up with next.

Source: Received from Walker in exchange for an honest review

Other reviews of this book:
YA Yeah Yeah
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.

Book Trailer: Daylight Saving - Edward Hogan + UK Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Edward Hogan's YA debut novel Daylight Saving on the 2nd of February I thought I'd share the trailer with you here.  I've already read the book and really enjoyed it so watch out for my review which will be posted later today.  Thanks to the lovely people at Walker I also have a copy of Daylight Saving to give to one lucky UK winner!

When Daniel Lever accompanies his dad to the Leisure World Holiday Complex, his expectations are low.  But then he sees a mysterious girl by the fake lake and everything changes.  Lexi is funny and smart, but why does she have wounds that get worse each time they meet?  And is her watch really going backwards?

As the end of British Summer Time approaches, Daniel has to act quickly.  Their souls depend on it.

Visit Edward Hogan's page on Goodreads for more information.



Just in case you didn't see the animated book cover when I posted it last year here it is again (this cover is awesome - I could spend far too long playing with it!  Make sure you move your cursor over the cover to get the full effect):



Giveaway Details:

Now how would you like the chance to win a copy of Daylight Saving? 

• Courtesy of Walker I have a UK paperback of Daylight Saving to giveaway to 1 lucky UK winner.
• The winner's prize will be sent out directly by my contact at Walker so the winner must give me permission to pass their address on.
• The winner will be chosen at random from all entries received. 
• To enter please use the rafflecopter below to confirm that you are a UK resident, there are optional extra entries for following or tweeting about the giveaway but these are not required to enter.
• The giveaway will close at 12:01am EST on the 3rd of March 2012 and the winner will be contacted soon afterwards.  You will have 48 hours to reply to me with your address or a new winner will be chosen.

Review: If I Die - Rachel Vincent

Kaylee can see death coming.
Now she must face her own.

As a teen banshee, Kaylee's blood-curdling screams are a death knell for others.  Yet she never expected to see her own name at the top of a reaper's list.

Scheduled to die within days, Kaylee knows her magic can't change her fate.  Worse, on top of worrying about her own demise, she needs to save mortal best friend Emma from the clutches of a deadly Netherworld creature.

As Kaylee's time on earth slips away, troubled banshee boyfriend Nash and his reaper brother Tod refuse to give up on Kaylee.  They're ready to unearth murky family secrets to give her a last chance at life, as their fight to save Kaylee becomes a battle for her love.

Soul Screamers Series:
My Soul to Lose (prequel novella)
My Soul to Take
My Soul to Save
My Soul to Keep
Reaper (novella)
My Soul to Steal
If I Die
Never to Sleep (novella)
Before I Wake
With All My Soul

For more information visit Rachel Vincent's website

Review:
Warning, although this review won't contain spoilers for If I Die it may contain spoilers for previous books in the series.  If you're not up to date with the series then you probably shouldn't read my review but I will say that this series just keeps on getting better and better and it's one I can't recommend highly enough!

What would you do if you discovered you had just days to live?  That is the decision Kaylee has to face in If I Die after Tod spots her name on the reaper list.  Somehow things like school and work don't seem quite so important anymore.  Her family and friends are desperate to try and find a way to save her but Kaylee is trying to accept her fate and wants to make sure that they will all be OK when she is gone.  She is particularly concerned about Emma who she fears is being targeted by a new teacher who isn't quite what he appears to be.  As Kaylee once again puts herself in danger for the sake of others can those who love her find a way to protect her?

This was already one of my all time favourite YA series but If I Die was by far the best book yet.  I really don't know how Rachel Vincent does it but each new instalment just gets better and better and I can't wait to get my hands on Before I Wake!  If I Die really takes you on an emotional roller coaster and I had absolutely no idea how things would play out at the end, I'm just going to assure you that it surpassed by expectations by a long shot.

I already loved Kaylee but she proves just how strong she is this time around.  She doesn't want to die but she knows that she has had a second chance and she doesn't see any way around what is going to happen.  She feels that she has to accept what is going to happen and she wants to make sure that her family and friends will be alright when she has gone.  There were some heartbreaking scenes between her and her father and I was really impressed with the dignity Kaylee shows in the face of everyone else's denial over the situation.  Always one to put others above herself it isn't a surprise that Kaylee ends up spending what could be her last few days trying to protect others, especially her best friend Emma, from a supernatural threat.

I've made no secret of the fact that I've always been on team Nash, while I've been liking Tod more and more with each book I'm quite loyal and once I've picked a team I very rarely change my mind.  Having said that I think I might just have defected to team Tod now which is something I really didn't expect to say!  I still love Nash but his actions over the last few books have shocked me and if anything he did something even worse this time around.  I really hope he manages to sort himself out but I don't see how Kaylee could ever be able to trust him again after all the things that have happened.  Tod on the other hand has turned into someone who is always there for Kaylee, he let her down very early on in the series but since then has become a source of strength for her and has really proved himself.

If I Die is action packed and full of twists that will have you gasping in shock, alternating between rage and joy and probably shedding more than a few tears along the way.  The book really was impossible to put down so make sure you clear your diary before you start reading - there is no way you'll want to stop!  I can't recommend this book (or this series) highly enough and I can't wait to see where Rachel Vincent takes us next, especially after the latest developments!

Source: Received from Mira Ink 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.

Lauren Kate's Top 10 Most Romantic Songs

First let me just quickly say Happy Valentine's Day everyone.  Whether you're single or in a relationship and whether you choose to celebrate or not I hope you all have a fab day!

Since today is supposed to be one of the most romantic days of the year I have something different for the blog today.  Instead of posting a review or writing something soppy and romantic (I am single after all lol) I have a bit of an exclusive from the lovely Lauren Kate, author of the Fallen series. 

Unexpected. Unrequited. Forbidden. Eternal. Everyone has their own love story.

And in a twist of fate, four extraordinary love stories combine over the course of a romantic Valentine's Day in Medieval England. Miles and Shelby find love where they least expect it. Roland learns a painful lesson about finding-and losing love. Arianne pays the price for a love so fierce it burns. And for the first -and last- time, Daniel and Luce will spend a night together like none other.

Lauren Kate's FALLEN IN LOVE is filled with love stories . . . the ones everyone has been waiting for.

True love never says goodbye . . .

Visit Lauren Kate's website for more information.

To celebrate the release of the latest book in the series Fallen In Love Lauren is here today to share her top 10 most romantic songs:

• Love and Happiness by Al Green
• Waterloo Sunset by the Kinks
• Preherstory by First Baptist Chemical
• Born in Time by Bob Dylan
• Tupelo Honey by Van Morrison
• Something by The Beatles
• The Book of Love by The Magnetic Fields
• Heart of Gold by Neil Young
• Just Like Heaven by The Cure
• Samson by Regina Spektor

I did want to add a play list with these songs on to the blog post so you could listen to them but I couldn't figure out a way to do it (if anyone knows how it can be done please let me know & I'll update the post!)

What do you think of Lauren's choices?  Which songs would be on your list?