Links with a asterisk (*) are Ad: Affiliate Links, which means if you make a purchase through them, I'll make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Hardbacks with Special Cases

I don't often buy hardbacks for several reasons. 1. Here in the UK, the majority of YA goes straight to paperback (though fantasy does seem to be published in hardback first more often than not). 2. I generally prefer reading paperbacks; they're kinder to my wrists, and not so heavy when in a bag. 3. For those that are published in hardback first, I can't afford to buy every book I want to read in that format, so I have to wait. But I do still occasionally buy hardbacks, when it's a book I can't wait for - and they tend to be US titles not published in the UK.

Continue reading Hardbacks with Special Cases

Six for Sunday: Favourite Covers of 2018

Six For Sunday is a weekly feature run by Steph of A Little But a Lot. You can read all the Six for Sunday prompts for the rest of 2018 here.

Again, this week's topic doesn't work for me, so - as is allowed - I'm adapting an older topic: Favourite covers of 2018. Obviously there are many more than six, but I've gone with the ones that came to mind first.

The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton


This cover is just gorgeous! Look at colours, the make up, the flowers, and the orbs! And an actual Black woman on the cover! The actual physical covers shimmers under the light, and you can't see it here, but the image is also slightly blurred (but not quite as much as the UK cover is blurred, which is just too blurred).  What I love about the cover being a little blurred is that it fits with the story. It's almost like a filter; not everything here is real, beauty is manipulated - which also links to the plot of the story, where there's more going on than we originally think. Such a wonderful, beautiful cover!

Continue reading Six for Sunday: Favourite Covers of 2018

Discussion: Representation Matters on Covers, Too - And the UK Doesn't Always Get It Right

Last week, the UK cover for A Blade so Black by L. L. McKinney was released on The Book Smugglers. It's a gorgeous, gorgeous cover. I love the nods to Alice in Wonderland in it; the rabbit with the clock top-left, the club and spade symbols on the left among the roses. Though, if I'm honest, I'm not crazy about the placement of the Entertainment Weekly quote, but that's a conversation for another day. Despite how beautiful this cover is, it did remind of something that UK publishers don't seem to do brilliant at - representing marginalised people on covers.

Continue reading Discussion: Representation Matters on Covers, Too - And the UK Doesn't Always Get It Right

Discussion: Why Are US Covers Generally Better Than UK Covers?

Over my years as a book blogger, there is something I have found: 9 times out of 10, the US edition of a book will have a better cover than the UK cover. I also think there's a kind of style about covers from each, that without being told beforehand, I'd be able to pick out which cover was for the US or the UK edition. This is not to say that the UK covers are awful, just that I feel more often than not, the US covers are so much better. Take these covers for example.

This Savage Song by V.E. Schwab

UK cover & US cover

Continue reading Discussion: Why Are US Covers Generally Better Than UK Covers?

Seeing Double - Covers that Look Remarkably Alike

Many of these kinds of posts have been done before. We all know about the similarites between Luna and Fate, Paper Towns and No Place to Fall, and Evermore and North of Beautiful. The same stock photo is used twice for four of these books, but I want to talk about books that look similar - not because of the same stock photo - that have been published more recently.

Working in a bookshop, this is just something you can't help but notice when you're shelving, accidentally confusing a book for another, but I was reminded of these books and inspired to write this post by Cait at Paper Fury, who mentioned in her June wrap up post that Girl Out of Water by Nat Luurtsema looked pretty similar to the old cover for Flirty Dancing by Jenny McLaughlin.

Continue reading Seeing Double - Covers that Look Remarkably Alike

The Elemental Series is Coming to the UK (+ Trailer)!

I don't really post news posts anymore, but this is something I just HAVE to talk about....

THE ELEMENTAL SERIES BY BRIGID KEMMERER IS COMING TO THE UK!!!!!

I am SO excited! Regular readers will know how much I love this series! It's absolutely incredible! So much so, I myself have actually emailed a few UK publishers about this series, practically begging them to publish it over here. I can't claim credit for it being published by Much-in-Little though, an imprint of Contable and Robinson.

Storm by Brigid Kemmerer - Secrets are hard to keep when your life's at stake.

Becca Chandler is suddenly getting all the guys; all the ones she doesn't want. When she saves Chris Merrick from a beating in the school parking lot, everything is about to change. Chris is different from the guys at school... really different. He can control water just like his brothers can control fire, wind, and earth. The brothers are powerful and dangerous. And now that Becca knows the truth, so is she.

When the mysterious new kid, Hunter, turns up, Becca thinks she can trust him. But when he goes head-to-head with Chris, Becca's left wondering who's hiding the most dangerous truth of all. From Goodreads

But yes, they're coming! The first book in the series, Storm, is coming to the UK on 17th April 2013, and you can watch the UK trailer below!

Continue reading The Elemental Series is Coming to the UK (+ Trailer)!

Weekly Gossip

ere's your updates of the news over the past week.

Firstly, I have signing news! Michael Grant will be signing copies of BZRK, FEAR and, the whole of the GONE series at Foyles, Charing Cross Road (WC2H 0EB) on Saturday 17th March from 2-4pm.

The nearest tubes are Tottenham Court Road and Leicester Square.



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Now onto the Rachel Vincent news! It seems there is something new every week!

I shared the UK cover for Before I Wake a few weeks back, but now Rachel Vincent has shared the back cover copy! Whoop! WARNING! If you have not read If I Die, DO NOT under any circumstances read the copy, it is MAJORLY spoilery. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! Don't shout at me if you read.

Before I Wake by Rachel Vincent (released 6th July 2012) - I died on a Thursday—killed by a monster intent on stealing my soul.
The good news? He didn’t get it.
The bad news?
Turns out not even death will get you out of high school…

Covering up her own murder was one thing, but faking life is much harder than Kaylee Cavanaugh expected. After weeks spent “recovering,” she’s back in school, fighting to stay visible to the human world, struggling to fit in with her friends and planning time alone with her new reaper boyfriend.

But to earn her keep in the human world, Kaylee must reclaim stolen souls, and when her first assignment brings her face-to-face with an old foe, she knows the game has changed. Her immortal status won’t keep her safe. And this time Kaylee isn’t just gambling with her own life… From Rachel's blog.

Continue reading Weekly Gossip

Guest Post: Beth from Page-Turner's Favourite Covers

Today I have the honour of having Beth from Page-Turner here on my blog to guest post about book covers! Over to Beth...

Ahhhhh!!! Firstly, thank you so much to the amazing Jo here at Once Upon a Bookcase for letting me guest-post here today! I hope you enjoy it! I decided to post about book covers , one of my favourite things in the world, (first comes the actual books!) and will be talking about 3 different categories. I hope you enjoy my guest-post..... :-)

Continue reading Guest Post: Beth from Page-Turner's Favourite Covers

Cover Reavel and Trailers

I have a cover reveal and some trailers to share with you all.

First of all, the cover reveal for the UK cover of Black Dawn by Rachel Caine:

Black Dawn by Rachel Caine (released 1st May 2012) - In Last Breath, the rain brought a new and dire threat to Morganville and its vampires...their ancient enemies, the draug. Now, the vampires are fighting a losing war, and it will fall to the residents of the Glass House: Michael, Eve, Shane and Claire, to take the fight to an enemy who threatens to destroy the town, forever.
Lovers of Morganville, rejoice: Black Dawn takes the intrigue, romance and nail-biting suspense of the series to its highest level yet! From AllisonandBusby.com

Gorgeous, huh? So looking forward to this one!

And now for the trailers.

Continue reading Cover Reavel and Trailers

Cover Reveal: Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

Breaking News, people! The long awaited UK cover for Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver!

Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver (released 1st March 2012) - 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... From official blurb.

What do you think? I don't like it, myself. The colour is too close to orange, and I hate orange. And it just doesn't say much about the book, though I guess running is important to Lena in the book. I don't know, it just isn't my cup of tea. The words inside are brilliant though! How about you? Do you like it?

Continue reading Cover Reveal: Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

Night School Blog Tour: Photographer Josefine Jönsson on the Cover Photo

I have a post from the photographer and model of the photo used in the cover of Night School, Josefine Jönsson. Josefine's photos have also been used on the covers for Entangled by Cat Clarke and Forgotten by Cat Patrick. Josefine has written about the inspiration for the series of photos the cover image is from, and how it feels to see her photos on covers.

When it comes to self-portraiture I like to think of myself as another person and create a character to capture on film. For these images I really wanted some dark feeling to them, yet wanted them to be quite peaceful. The series is called my disease, as I was inspired by a song called My Disease by A Skylit Drive. The lines that I had in mind while creating these photos were:

It's exactly what it seems
The horror I live
The evil that beats inside me
It's called "my disease"
The first photo, which is used on the cover of C.J Daugherty's book, is quite peaceful when looking at it. I wanted to capture the feeling where the person in the photo is trying to hide themselves, to cover up what is her disease. What the disease really is would be up to the viewer to decide when looking at the photo.

The second one in this series suggests that she's letting the disease take over, but still not showing her eyes to the viewer to not reveal what it really is.



I am always very positively surprised when it comes to seeing my photos on covers! It still feels a little weird seeing myself on the cover, but I sure enjoy it. It’s also fun to see what they will do with the photo, change colours, crop it or add things. Sometimes it feels like a whole new image than before, it really shows how little elements you can add/remove to create another feeling. It sure is a certain feeling when walking to a book store and seeing your image on a book and the feeling when reading a book with your face on it is really amazing! I can’t remember when I only used to dream to be on a book cover some day and now it’s my fifth one! Really looking forward to be reading Night School which would be in my post very soon!

Thanks, Josefine, for such a fantastic guest post! How brilliant are her photos? I am such a fan! Be sure to check out Josefine's website, blog and Facebook page.

Continue reading Night School Blog Tour: Photographer Josefine Jönsson on the Cover Photo

Cover Reveals: Divergent and Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Today, thanks to the lovely people at HarperCollins UK, I get to share with you the new cover for the Divergent paperback and reveal the cover for it's sequel, Insurgent, both by Veronica Roth! And incase you don't know what I'm talking about, the blurbs for both.

Divergent by Veronica Roth (Paperback published on 2nd February 2012) - She turns to face the future in a world that’s falling apart.

For sixteen-year-old Tris, the world changes in a heartbeat when she is forced to make a terrible choice. Turning her back on her family, Tris ventures out, alone, determined to find out where she truly belongs.

Shocked by the brutality of her new life, Tris can trust no one. And yet she is drawn to a boy who seems to both threaten and protect her. The hardest choices may yet lie ahead….

A debut novel that will leave you breathless. From Amazon UK


Insurgent by Veronica Roth (Published on 1st May 2012) - Fighting for survival in a shattered world… the truth is her only hope.

The thrillingly dark sequel to New York Times bestseller, DIVERGENT.

War looms in sixteen-year-old Tris’s dark dystopian world as disputes between the factions grow. Tris must now fight against all odds to discover the truth that can save her and the people she loves. Sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge – and the choices she makes will have devastating and unexpected consequences. From Amazon UK

Aren't they gorgeous?! I love them! I much prefer this Divergent cover to the hardback!

Continue reading Cover Reveals: Divergent and Insurgent by Veronica Roth

News: Cover for Life Eternal by Yvonne Woon

Look at the cover for Life Eternal by Yvonne Woon, sequel to Dead Beautiful!

Life Eternal by Yvonne Woon (released 1st May 2012) - In this title life and death collide in the stunning sequel to the breathtaking "Dead Beautiful". Renee Winters has changed. When she looks in the mirror, a beautiful girl with an older, sadder face stares back. Her condition has doctors mystified, but Renee can never reveal the truth: she died last May, and was brought back to life by the kiss of her Undead soul mate, Dante Berlin. Now, her separation from Dante becomes almost unbearable. His second life is close to an end, and each passing day means one less that she will spend with the boy who shares her soul. Just when Renee has almost given up hope, she learns of the Nine Sisters - brilliant scholars who, according to legend, found a way to cheat death. She can't shake the feeling that they are somehow connected to her dreams, strange visions that hint at a discovery so powerful, and so dangerous, that some will stop at nothing to protect it. Renee thought she knew the truth about life and death. But there is a secret woven through history that holds the only hope for Dante and Renee. Unless they find answers soon, their time together is doomed to be cut short. From Amazon UK

It's very wintery! And the book sounds absolutely amazing! I can't wait to read it!

Continue reading News: Cover for Life Eternal by Yvonne Woon

News: Cover Reveal for Cinder by Marrissa Meyer

Check out the gorgeous cover for the first book in The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer, Cinder!

Cinder by Marissa Meyer (released 5th January 2012) - A forbidden romance.
A deadly plague.
Earth's fate hinges on one girl...

CINDER, a gifted mechanic in New Beijing, is also a cyborg. She's reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister's sudden illness. But when her life becomes entwined with the handsome Prince Kai's, she finds herself at the centre of a violent struggle between the desires of an evil queen - and a dangerous temptation.

Cinder is caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal. Now she must uncover secrets about her mysterious past in order to protect Earth's future.

This is not the fairytale you remember. But it's one you won't forget. From Puffin's Website

Isn't it gorgeous?! And it sounds so intriguing! You can read an extract here and check out The Lunar Chronicles' Facbeook page.

Continue reading News: Cover Reveal for Cinder by Marrissa Meyer

News: Cover Reveals for Lauren Kate's Fallen in Love and Rapture

Great news to share with you! The covers for Lauren Kate's Fallen in Love and Rapture have been released!

Fallen in Love by Lauren Kate - What makes your heart race a little faster? Just in time for Valentine's Day, it's FALLEN IN LOVE, four wholly original new stories collected in a new novel set in the Middle Ages by Lauren Kate. FALLEN IN LOVE gives fans the much-talked about but never-revealed stories of FALLEN characters as they intertwine with the epic love story of Luce and Daniel. The stories include: Love Where You Least Expect It: The Valentine of Shelby and Miles , Love Lessons: The Valentine of Roland; Burning Love: The Valentine of Arriane; and Endless Love: The Valentine of Daniel and Lucinda. From Amazon UK

ETA: Check out this excerpt from Fallen in Love.

Rapture by Lauren Kate - The sky is dark with wings....

In RAPTURE, the highly anticipated fourth and final novel in the FALLEN series, Luce and Daniel are together... but for how long? Can history be rewritten? Or are some punishments eternal? From Amazon UK

Aren't they gorgeous?! Improved since Passion! They look a lot more realistic. I love them!

Continue reading News: Cover Reveals for Lauren Kate's Fallen in Love and Rapture

Bookish News!

This week's bookish news:

Cover reveals.

The US cover for Die For Me by Amy Plum has been changed to an edited version of the UK cover. Read Amy's thoughts here.



In the US, Nightshade by Andrea Cremer has had a cover change for the paperback release. Because of this, the hardback of Wolfsbane has had a cover change to match it. Read Andrea's thoughts here. (Sorry about image size, can't make any bigger.)





And the UK cover for Wolfsbane:



Finally, the cover for Crossed, the sequel to Matched by Ally Condie has also been released. Read Ally's thoughts here.



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Vicki of Heaven, Hell and Purgatory is organising a Northern UK Book Blogger Meet-Up. Anyone in the UK is welcome, but as most Northerners have trouble making it down to London, they're organising one up north. Check out the post and let Vicki know if you're interested!

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The wonderful Michelle of Fluttering Butterflies is bringing back her blog feature, Awesome Women. Michelle says, "On my blog previously, I'd always tried to maintain a regular feature highlighting amazing and inspiring women but after several (fascinating!) guest posts, the feature kind of fizzled out. I'm really going to do my best to keep it going this time, with Saturdays being dedicated to profiles of individual women, fictional characters and to mix things up, some interviews with some incredible bloggers/authors."

Her first post is about favourite authors from her childhood, and the second is an interview with the lovely Vivienne from Serendipity. Check them out! There shall be an interview with me at some point soon, too!


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Richelle Mead had adult urban fantasy author of the Jane True series, Nicole Peeler guest post on her blog to discuss how young is too young when it comes to reading books not considered YA. Really interesting post!

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Alyxandra Harvey will be coming over to the UK in May to promote her forthcoming novel, Haunting Violet. You can find out more details on the facebook page.

Here's a note from Alyxandra about the book, and after that, a video of Alyxandra talking about the novel at her own haunted house in Canada.

Dear Reader

I love historical fantasy because I can lose myself in a world where Mr. Darcy might be just around the corner . . . or the ghost of a murdered girl out for revenge. It combines corsets and cravats with paranormal mysteries of every kind.
Haunting Violet takes place in Victorian England, during the 1870's, which was the pinnacle of the interest in mediums and séances. Talking to ghosts was all the rage in private parlours and public halls. The details of clothes and food and the popularity of séances are as accurate as I could make them to create a realistic backdrop for ghosts and spirit possession. But in the end people are people; we still just want to be happy. And 1870 or 2010, I love a girl who can kick butt . . . especially when wearing a corset. I hope you'll enjoy meeting Violet as she struggles to come to terms with her new gift for communicating with the dead . . . and as she chooses between a traditional safe life and an Irish pickpocket with a wicked grin.

Alyxandra Harvey





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Orion announce new YA imprint, Indigo:

The Orion Publishing Group is delighted to share the exciting news of the launch of INDIGO, the new imprint that will publish a wide variety of genres for teens and young adults by established authors and rising stars.

Launching in September 2011 INDIGO will publish four titles per month.

INDIGO will publish fiction for older teen readers focussing on the strengths of the publishing that currently sit on the popular and successful Gollancz and Orion Children's Books imprints.

A stellar list of authors will launch the new venture, becoming our first INDIGO authors: Mia James, Cinda Williams Chima, Harlan Coben, Kate Harrison, Holly Black, Marcus Sedgwick, Sara Grant, Sally Gardner, Chris Wooding, Anna Kendall, Cliff McNish, Sarah Silverwood, Alan Gibbons, James Dawson, Chloe Neill and Annabel Pitcher.

Read the press release for more info.


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Books to check out.

Jenna and Jonah's Fauxmance by Emily Frankland and Brendan Halpin (released 7th March 2011) - Teen TV celebrities Jenna and Jonah (real names, Charlie Tracker and Fielding Withers) make more money in a month than most people do in a lifetime. They can't stand to be in the same room as each other, but to boost the TV ratings their agents make them a 'real life' couple. Then the deception is uncovered by the paparazzi, and Charlie and Fielding have to disappear to weather the media storm. It's not until they're far off the grid of the Hollywood circuit that they realise there's more to each of them than shiny hair and a winning smile. From Amazon UK

You can read an extract of the first chapter here. Find out more about Brendan Halpin on his website, Facebook page, and on Twitter @bhalpin, and find out more about Emily Franklin on her website.


The Fall by Anthony McGowan (released 1st Mat) - Mog and his mates are bored. Their school’s a dump – the type of place kids get expelled to. Their lives seem pointless – they spend their time at school messing around or going out thieving. The most exciting thing to do is to jump over the beck: the polluted stream at the back of the school. And it’s there that two separate events occur which will change Mog’s life forever… From the press release.

This is Anthony McGowan's first book for Barrington Stoke, a publisher for dyslexic and reluctant readers.

Continue reading Bookish News!

Interview with Photographer Josefine Jönsson

Remember when the cover for Entangled by Cat Clarke was revealed? Remember how everyone reacted to how beautiful it was? Well, I was lucky enough to interview the strikingly beautiful photographer AND cover model for Entangled and Forgotten by Cat Patrick, Josefine Jönsson!

N.B. All photos used in this post are copyrighted to Josefine Jönsson and used with her permission.

Thank you so much, Josefine, for letting me interview you! I absolutely love your photos! Can you tell us a little about yourself and your photography?Thank you, very glad you like them!

I started photographing in the beginning of 2006, back then my very best friend Harriet used to model for me. This was also when my love for photography first started and by then I was ever so eager to experiment with different lights, locations and models. I learned a lot by taking self-portraits, this way I could test new things that I wasn’t ready to test on other models. If I failed I could just throw the photos away and make it better next time. But taking self-photography is a great way of letting your creativity flow and that is what I like the most by modelling myself.

Basically what I’d like to express with my photography are my dreams and memories, doing this by scouting locations I find timeless, as well as creating my own characters. I do find my self-photography a lot more different than my other work with models, as I take my self-portraits for myself rather than to anyone else. I guess that is why they’re filled with more emotions than my other work.

Not only did you take the photos for the covers of Entangled by Cat Clarke and Forgotten by Cat Patrick, you are also the model. Is it difficult to take self-portraits?
I’ve been taking self-portraits for quite some time now, but now and then I find it quite hard. Sometimes they turn out how I like them to turn out, but other times they don’t. And finding the right angles sometimes is hard! Working with a remote sure make it easier, but sometimes the focus drives me insane. To achieve a certain emotion is easier when taking self-portraits as you know exactly what you want, but also a lot harder when you’ve have to do it all yourself!

Are you approached about using your photography for book covers or do you have to submit?

Being a member in a photo agency makes it easier for clients to find my work, but I’ve been approached personally also about selling my photos for covers.

When using an older photo rather than taking a new one for book covers, how do you decide which photo to use?

It is not usually me who decides which photo to be used. But it depends on the book, because sometimes I think my older work fits the cover better than my newer photos.What is the process from photo to book cover? Do you just take the photo, or are you involved in actually designing the covers?

Most of the time the clients see a photo they’d like to use, then it is a photo I’ve had on the agency or on my own website. But they can also request a shoot where they decide how the photo should look like. I am not involved with designing the photo, even if it would have been fun. But I guess it is for the better, I am not good with designing anyway.

Your photo _heartbeat II. had a few edits before making it to the cover of Forgotten, the most noticeable being the edits to your top. Why were the changes to the sleeves made?

Yes, actually I didn’t know this until I saw the cover. I have no idea why they decided to change the sleeves, but I guess they had good reasons for doing it. Personally I prefer it without the sleeves like the original, but it’s up to the designer to decide.

_heartbeat II.


You have also had photos used on the covers of The Dead of Summer by Mari Jungstedt and Kwetsbare Vrouwv (Willing Flesh in the UK) by Adam Creed. Out of the four covers that feature your photography, which is your favourite?

I really enjoy the cover of Entangled, which has also gotten the most feedback. But the cover for Mari Jungstedt is also a favourite of mine.


Click for larger views.

Outside of book covers, what can people expect from your photography? What do you hope they will see?

I always explain that I rather speak with my photography than with words, because this is how I express myself the best. And hopefully they will enjoy looking through my thoughts, dreams and memories resembled as photography.

_playing with fire.


_hearbeat III.


_autumn sleep II.


Who or what inspires you in your photography?

Dreams and tales inspire me a lot, also when seeing a certain location gives me several ideas, so nature sure inspires me a lot. A few photographers I am inspired by are Carl Bengtsson and Jimmy Backius.Are there any more book covers featuring your photography coming soon that we can look forward to?

Yes! There might be two, but one I am sure about, I believe it is in Dutch though!

Thank you, Josefine, for such a fascinating interview! Look at those beautiful photos! Oooh, I love them! You can see more of Josefine's photography on her website, her blog, or her deviantART page. I highly suggest you go check them out!

If you haven't yet, but the covers have piqued your interest, you can read my reviews of Entangled by Cat Clarke and Forgotten by Cat Patrick.

Continue reading Interview with Photographer Josefine Jönsson

Bookish News!

Here's the news from over the past week.

Firstly some great news regarding the Vampire Academy spin off series by Richelle Mead. You may have heard about this already, but I hadn't, so here's the news! As Richelle says on her blog:

"Bloodlines is the spin-off series to Vampire Academy (it's the name of the first book and of the series). It's set in the VA world but will be about different characters: Sydney (our narrator), Jill, Eddie, and one of the love interests from VA. I'm not saying who that last guy is, but it's mostly to protect those who haven't read Last Sacrifice. If you have read it, then it should be pretty obvious who the other character is."

I am pretty happy with this! I liked Jill and Eddie, and the love interest that's in it... LOVE! And Sydney was pretty great too! I really can't wait until it's released, on 23rd August! And there's a countdown website for it, too!

ETA: I have just found the US cover for Bloodlines, too! Here it is:



Gorgeous, huh? Also on 23rd August, Vampire Academy will be available as a graphic novel! Have a lookie at this:



Awesome, huh?

And I have a final bit of news about this favourite author of mine, that's more personal to her. Also in August, Richelle Mead will become a mother. Yes, she's pregnant! How amazing is that? Congrats to her and her husband!


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Book club announcement from Orion:

Fierce Fiction is proud to announce our new online book club and review programme!

Once a month we will host one of our titles – new, old but always fierce and offer a dedicated comment space for you all to discuss your thoughts with the rest of the FF family! We will also be planning to offer exclusive content, swag and even the odd author involvement throughout the year.

But that’s not all! As a special opt in you can also send us your reviews, which can be as short or long as you like, of the chosen book within one month to be automatically entered into a prize draw to win the following book club choice! Cool huh?

If you are 14 years or older then get ready to join the revolution. After all Fierce Fiction would be nothing without its Fierce Fiction fans!

Our Featured Title this Month is Mia James’ By Midnight

Forget everything you thought you knew about vampire lore and delve into the sinister world of Ravenwood.

A prestigious academy for gifted students - the school April Dunne’s whole life has been uprooted for – and frankly, she is not impressed. For most it couldn’t get any worse – but for April it’s about to – because there’s more going on at Ravenwood than meets the eye...

Look out for a special giveaway to celebrate the Fierce Fiction Book Club, exclusive teasers from the book (and the upcoming sequel Darkness Falls), a Q&A with the author, and much more!

And if you have already read the book what are you waiting for? Head over to our dedicated tab and get chatting – all bookish topics are welcome!


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Trailers:


The trailer for 0.4 by Mike Lancaster:



The trailer for Lily Alone by Jacqueline Wilson:




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Publisher Aquisitions:

Egmont Press is delighted to announce las week the acquisition of two books by Siobhan Curham: Dear Dylan and Finding Cherokee Brown, both aimed at girls aged 10 – 15 years old.

Curham self-published Dear Dylan in March 2010 with a print run of just five hundred copies, and immediately won the prestigious Young Minds Award. The book is already receiving rave reviews on Amazon.

Egmont snapped up the books in an intense auction and plans to publish Dear Dylan in July 2011 and Finding Cherokee Brown the year after.

Dear Dylan tells the story of fourteen-year old Georgie Harris who is struggling to cope with her bully of a step-dad and her increasingly fragile mum. Sick of feeling like the outsider at home and at school, she starts emailing the one person she thinks might understand: Dylan Curtland, soap star and teen heart-throb. When Dylan starts emailing back, Georgie feels a tiny spark of hope. But in the faceless world of email all is not as it seems...


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Books to check out:

In the Sea there are Crocodiles by Fabio Geda - released 7th July 2011 - One night before putting him to bed, Enaiatollah’s mother tells him three things: don’t use drugs, don’t use weapons, don’t steal. The next day he wakes up to find she isn’t there. Ten-year-old Enaiatollah is left alone in Pakistan to fend for himself.

In a book that takes a true story and shapes it into a beautiful piece of fiction, Italian novelist Fabio Geda describes Enaiatollah’s remarkable five-year journey from Afghanistan to Italy where he finally managed to claim political asylum aged fifteen. His ordeal took him through Iran, Turkey and Greece, working on building sites in order to pay people-traffickers, and enduring the physical misery of dangerous border crossings squeezed into the false bottoms of lorries or trekking across inhospitable mountains. A series of almost implausible strokes of fortune enabled him to get to Turin, find help from an Italian family and meet Fabio Geda, with whom he became friends.

The result of their friendship is this unique book in which Enaiatollah’s engaging, moving voice is brilliantly captured by Geda’s subtly simple storytelling. In Geda’s hands, Enaiatollah’s journey becomes a universal story of stoicism in the face of fear, and the search for a place where life is liveable. From Amazon UK

You can check out an extract from the book here.


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From a press release about the Scottish protest against cuts to libraries:

Authors and illustrators from Scotland gathered at The Scottish Parliament on 5th Feb 2011 to protest against proposed cuts to the library service. Led by award-winning author, Theresa Breslin, the protest saw around 200 people gather including Gruffalo author, Julia Donaldson, on the day proclaimed National Save our Libraries Day.

Theresa Breslin, a former librarian, launched the campaign through a protest statement which, in the space of three days, gathered over 700 supporters including some of the most influential authors and illustrators living in Scotland.

Julia Donaldson, multi-award-winning author of The Gruffalo, attended the day and read out the protest statement and then delivered it to the Scottish Parliament. Theresa Breslin spoke about the importance of libraries for young people and families everywhere.

To find out more, and to add your name to the list of protesters, please visit Therea Breslin's website.

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Bookish News!

Various pieces of bookish news for you all.

The US cover for Passion by Lauren Kate has been unveiled!


Before Luce and Daniel met at Sword & Cross and fought immortals at Shoreline, they lived many lives... From Amazon US

What do you think? I think it looks a little like a piece of art, with the clouds. Very beautiful, but I think I prefer the other two covers. You had the dark woods for Fallen, the white sky for Torment, but I'm not a huge fan of this dark sky, though I am intrigued by the rose. The UK cover will be similar, but with different text. Thanks to Random House UK for the heads up.

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The Imperial War Museum in London is opening a new literary based children's exhibition in February.



The exhibition Once Upon a Wartime: Classic War Stories for Children, focuses on five war stories for children: War Horse by Michael Morpurgo, Carrie’s War by Nina Bawden, The Silver Sword by Ian Serraillier, The Machine Gunners by Robert Westall and Little Soldier by Bernard Ashley.

The exhibition will be rich with original manuscripts, early sketches, interviews and photographs as well as stunning life-size sets, intricate scale models and interactive exhibits. Adults and children are invited to enter the imaginary worlds created in these children's stories: from the bleak landscape of no man's land in War Horse to the imposing tower blocks of London's gang warfare in Little Soldier, Once Upon A Wartime will take visitors on a journey through conflicts from the First World War to the present day.

For More information, check out the press release or visit iwm.org.uk/wartime

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Check out the trailer for Awakened by P.C. and Kristin Cast



To celebrate the release of Awakened, St. Martin's Press is offering a fantastic once in a lifetime chance for a fan and their guest to fly to Tulsa to tour the sites from the books and have lunch with the authors! Find out more here.

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On 3rd January, Scholastic Media debuted its first children’s storybook apps designed specifically for the iPad. Under the new brand of “Touch & Tilt” apps, this is Scholastic’s first foray into the exploding children’s iPad book app market. As the global leader in children’s publishing for more than 90 years, Scholastic’s entry is particularly significant. Find out more in the press release or the website

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Some books to check out:

Long Reach by Peter Cocks - 3rd Jan 2011 - Seventeen-year-old Eddie Savage is shocked to learn that the body of his brother, Steve, has just been washed up in the Thames. But he soon discovers something even more disturbing: that Steve had actually been working undercover for the police – and was probably murdered in the line of duty. Determined to avenge his brother's death, Eddie relinquishes his old life and identity to take up where Steve left off, throwing himself headlong into his first mission – to infiltrate a tough south London gang. But as he becomes caught up in the world of crime, Eddie begins to question where his loyalties lie. Then he makes a terrible discovery... From Amazon UK

A Beautiful Lie by Irfan Master - 4th Jan 2011 - An extraordinarily rich debut novel, set in India in 1947 at the time of Partition. Although the backdrop is this key event in Indian history, the novel is even more far-reaching, touching on the importance of tolerance, love and family. The main character is Bilal, a boy determined to protect his dying father from the news of Partition - news that he knows will break his father's heart. With great spirit and determination, and with the help of his good friends, Bilal persuades others to collude with him in this deception, even printing false pages of the local newspaper to hide the ravages of unrest from his father. All that Bilal wants is for his father to die in peace. But that means Bilal has a very complicated relationship with the truth... From Amazon UK

You can read the first chapter here, and you can also find out more about Irfan via his facebook page, Twitter, and his website (which will be launched later this month) irfanmaster.com

The Double Life of Cora Parry by Angela McAllister - 3rd Feb 2011 - Abandoned to the workhouse after the death of her guardians, Cora Parry refuses to accept her fate. Under the tuition of persuasive streetrat Fletch, Cora finds herself reluctantly drawn deep into the Victorian underworld. As she is gradually seduced into a life of crime, Cora creates a persona for herself - Carrie - allowing her to separate her uneasy conscience from her actions. But soon things are spiralling out of control. Carrie is committing acts of crime that Cora knows she can't possibly have done. Where does Carrie end and Cora begin? Who is really in control, and where will it end? An atmospheric page-turner from a talented storyteller. From Amazon UK

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