REVIEW: The Elite - Kiera Cass

Title: The Elite
Author: Kiera Cass
Series: The Selection #2
Publisher: Harper Collins
Source: Review Copy
Publication Date: 23rd April, 2013

Thirty-five girls came to the palace to compete in the Selection. All but six have been sent home. And only one will get to marry Prince Maxon and be crowned princess of Illea.

America still isn’t sure where her heart lies. When she’s with Maxon, she’s swept up in their new and breathless romance, and can’t dream of being with anyone else. But whenever she sees Aspen standing guard around the palace, and is overcome with memories of the life they planned to share. With the group narrowed down to the Elite, the other girls are even more determined to win Maxon over—and time is running out for America to decide.

Just when America is sure she’s made her choice, a devastating loss makes her question everything again. And while she’s struggling to imagine her future, the violent rebels that are determined to overthrow the monarchy are growing stronger and their plans could destroy her chance at any kind of happy ending.

Harry Potter #86

This is a meme hosted by me here at my blog :).The aim of this meme is to share with fellow bloggers a character, spell, chapter, object or quote from the books/ films/ J. K. Rowling herself or anything Potter related! I will be picking a topic within HP for us to focus on each week and then if anyone wants to take part feel free! All I ask is to link back here, to my blog :). There is now a full list of the topics to come in the Harry Potter section of my blog here.

BLOG TOUR: Prisoner of Night and Fog Cover Secrets

Today I have the lovely Anne Blankman, author of Prisoner of Night and Fog on the blog to share a couple of book cover secrets as part of her UK blog tour.

Cover Secrets

I have a confession to make--one of my favourite parts of the publication process is getting a book cover. Let's face it, covers these days are as gorgeous and elaborate as movie posters. Plus, there's something incredibly moving about seeing the book you've written captured in a single image.

So when I found out that Headline, my UK publisher, wouldn't be using my US cover but would create a new one, I got a little excited. Okay, I may have squealed. And pumped my hands in the air. Don't get me wrong--I adore my US cover. But getting to have two covers? That's amazing. And lucky me, I love both covers so much.

UK Cover

US Cover

I also love learning the secrets that go into making covers, so I thought I'd share some of mine with you today!

Most people don't know this, but the US cover is actually a self-portrait. That's right, the model and photographer are the same person! I think that's why her expression feels so intimate. In a funny coincidence, her name is Anni, which happens to be my nickname!

Have you noticed the "Little Red Riding Hood" vibe in the UK cover? Well, in the 1920s, Adolf Hitler liked to call himself "Herr Wolf." After he became Chancellor, he liked to go around whistling "Who's Afraid of the Big, Bad Wolf?" The graphic designer, Bekki Guyatt, brilliantly captured that sense of a wolfish predator and his prey in the cover. And the shoutline... It gives me chills every time I read it.

REVIEW: The Selection - Kiera Cass

Title: The Selection

Author: Kiera Cass

Series: The Selection #1

Publisher: Harper Collins

Source: Bought
Publication Date: 7th June, 2012

For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon.
But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.
Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself--and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

Harry Potter #85

This is a meme hosted by me here at my blog :).The aim of this meme is to share with fellow bloggers a character, spell, chapter, object or quote from the books/ films/ J. K. Rowling herself or anything Potter related! I will be picking a topic within HP for us to focus on each week and then if anyone wants to take part feel free! All I ask is to link back here, to my blog :). There is now a full list of the topics to come in the Harry Potter section of my blog here.

REVIEW: Belzhar - Meg Wolitzer

Title: Belzhar
Author: Meg Wolitzer

Series: None
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Source: Won
Publication Date: 1st October, 2014

If life were fair, Jam Gallahue would still be at home in New Jersey with her sweet British boyfriend, Reeve Maxfield. She’d be watching old comedy sketches with him. She’d be kissing him in the library stacks.
She certainly wouldn’t be at The Wooden Barn, a therapeutic boarding school in rural Vermont, living with a weird roommate, and signed up for an exclusive, mysterious class called Special Topics in English.
But life isn't fair, and Reeve Maxfield is dead.
Until a journal-writing assignment leads Jam to Belzhar, where the untainted past is restored, and Jam can feel Reeve’s arms around her once again. But there are hidden truths on Jam’s path to reclaim her loss.
From New York Times bestselling author Meg Wolitzer comes a breathtaking and surprising story about first love, deep sorrow, and the power of acceptance.

REVIEW: The Sleeper and the Spindle - Neil Gaiman, Chris Riddell

Title: The Sleeper and the Spindle

Author: Neil Gaiman, Chris Riddell

Series: None

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Source: Review Copy

Publication Date: 23rd October, 2014

A thrillingly reimagined fairy tale from the truly magical combination of author Neil Gaiman and illustrator Chris Riddell – weaving together a sort-of Snow White and an almost Sleeping Beauty with a thread of dark magic, which will hold readers spellbound from start to finish.

On the eve of her wedding, a young queen sets out to rescue a princess from an enchantment. She casts aside her fine wedding clothes, takes her chain mail and her sword and follows her brave dwarf retainers into the tunnels under the mountain towards the sleeping kingdom. This queen will decide her own future – and the princess who needs rescuing is not quite what she seems. Twisting together the familiar and the new, this perfectly delicious, captivating and darkly funny tale shows its creators at the peak of their talents.
Lavishly produced, packed with glorious Chris Riddell illustrations enhanced with metallic ink, this is a spectacular and magical gift.