Book Review: Every Day by David Levithan

Title: Every Day
Author: David Levithan
Release Date: September 1st 2012
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (Text Publishing in NZ & Aus)
Source: A gift from a friend :)
Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl.

There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere.

It’s all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone he wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day.

My Thoughts

For me, Every Day is the quintessential love story - one person falling in love with another, regardless of outside influences.
Why is that important you may ask.
Well as far as I'm concerned, you fall in love with a person because of their values, humour, shared interests, chemistry, how they make you feel inside. The package that person comes in - be it fat, thin, black, white, boy or girl is irrelevant; and Every Day portrays that kind of love perfectly.

A doesn't know if he is a boy or a girl, he doesn't know if he is any particular race or religion, or anything other than a being that lives in one body at a time, one day at a time. (I'm referring to A as he because for me, A felt like a male)
He learns to adjust, to access his hosts memories to get through each day. Never getting overly attached, never dwelling for too long on the whys, the how's - until Rhiannon.
Rhiannon changes everything.
Rhiannon causes A to question all that he is, all that he knows, and all that he can be...

It did take me a little while to settle in to Every Day, purely because I couldn't comprehend the complexities of growing up the way A had.
But I was enthralled - by the strange and cleverly woven tale that is A's life, by A himself, and by the growing love between A and Rhiannon.
And while I did enjoy this thought provoking, well written story, I was left with questions too. Who or what is A? Who is the mysterious and devious Reverend and what secrets does he hold? And where to from here, because while the ending was sweet and heartbreaking, and perfectly right, the story (for me) is incomplete - I need to know more!

I really was completely sucked in to A's world and I've been left with a burning desire for more, which I may have to satisfy (for now) by reading other books by this author.

A cleverly written and beautifully told story, I highly recommend Every Day to every body. 4 stars ;]


Check out the quick fire question session with author David Levithan...

Book Review: Courting Trouble by Jenny Schwartz

Title: Courting Trouble (Bustlepunk Chronicles #2)
Author: Jenny Schwartz
Release Date: October 1st 2012
Publisher: Carina Press
Source: Received from the publisher via NetGalley

Swan River Colony, Australia, 1895

All suffragette Esme Smith wants is respect. Her beau, American inventor Jed Reeve, may be more enlightened than most men, but lately his need to protect her is at odds with her need for independence. Esme begins to wonder if a modern woman can share her life with a man without losing some of herself.

With his courtship of Esme stalled, the last thing Jed needs is the pressure of saving the Prince of Wales. But when blueprints for a sonic destroyer fall into his hands, he uncovers an anarchist plot that could have deadly consequences.

While investigating the threats, Jed is determined to keep Esme out of harm’s way, despite her protests. But when the terrorists capture Jed and demand a priceless emerald in exchange for his life, it’s Esme who must draw on all her strength to save the day.

My Thoughts

Touted as a steam-punk romance, I did find Courting Trouble a little light in both regards, but I enjoyed the general storyline. It has been well written in an easy, and free flowing style, although it is a rather short read at just over 100 pages.

Jed and Esme have feelings for each other but neither wants to be the first to take that first step towards being together as a couple. Esme wants to be seen as an independent, forward thinking woman, and Jed just wants to woo and protect her which causes a little friction.
When the plans for a strange and possibly devastating weapon fall into Jed's hands, he uses the rouse of a terrorist plot to keep Esme close; which only causes more dissension between the two when his plans start to fall apart, and lives actually are at risk.

While it was a very easy read, it didn't keep my interest and I admit to skimming over several paragraphs, but overall a nice quick read for a rainy afternoon, 3 out of 5 stars :]

Spotlight On...

The Sword of Hope: Destiny Awaits
by Christopher Bryant

This is the story of two boys, one who is destined by the stars to walk a path laid out by destiny. The other, who is simply the help, will step out from the shadows and prove he’s more than just the help. The Sword of Hope is a growing up tale for the two boys, Christian and Tiberius.The boys set out to the Forest of Lost Emotion to face Gmonkis, but find that their enemy is not quite what they expected. The real enemy, their mission, is beyond the borders of their small town surrounded by trees.

Author Bio:

My name is Chris Bryant. I’m 27, born raised in Lexington, Ky. I love to write. I have been writing since I was little, always short stories about action or adventures I’d have liked to have been on. The Sword of Hope is my first of many books to come. My dream has always been to be able to get one of my stories published. This is my first full length story.


LINKS
Authors website
facebook
Twitter
Purchase for kindle

Look Who Got Interviewed...ME!!!

Yep, someone thought I was interesting enough to ask a few questions!

The lovely YA author Melissa Pearl, interviewed me earlier in the week, and the post just went live!

So, if you'd like to learn a little more about me, you should head over here!

Book Review and GIVEAWAY: Flesh by Kylie Scott

Title: Flesh
Author: Kylie Scott
Release Date: October 1st 2012
Publisher: Momentum
Source: Purchased for my own reading pleasure.

Ali has been hiding in an attic since civilisation collapsed eight weeks ago.

When the plague hit, her neighbours turned into mindless, hungry, homicidal maniacs.

Daniel has been a loner his entire life. Then the world empties and he realises that being alone isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Finn is a former cop who is desperate for companionship, and willing to do anything it takes to protect the survivors around him.

When the three cross paths they band together; sparks fly, romance blooms in the wasteland and Ali, Daniel and Finn bend to their very human needs in the ruins of civilisation.

Lust, love and trust all come under fire in Flesh as the three band together to survive, hunted through the suburban wastelands.

My Thoughts

I bought this book because a friend recommended it, but I held off reading it because it has Zombies in it.
Yeah, zombies aren't really my thing, I'm not a fan. I watched one episode of The Walking Dead and that was it. I just don't get it; it doesn't float my boat as they say. So after some further prompting by my friend, I somewhat reluctantly picked up Flesh over the weekend.
OMG, when am I going to learn?!! (some friends know what they're talking about!!)

Flesh by Kylie Scott more than floated my boat, in fact my DH threatened me with an unladylike throwing out of bed if I didn't get up - but I refused to move until I finished this totally engrossing, surprisingly addictive, very sexy story.

Flesh caught my attention from the very first page with its snappy writing and giggle inducing banter from the two lead characters. I love a well written story full of snarky one liners, and Flesh had all that and more.
A great page turner with an ever evolving love story, flanked by a fight for survival, stomach clenching suspense and gore, and two sexy men doing their best to protect and serve a sexually adventurous and open minded target for trouble! I admit, I wasn't sure at first how the sharing situation might work for Ali, Daniel and Finn, but I greatly enjoyed their sexual journey.

I cannot say enough great things about Flesh - in fact, author Kylie Scott may have very well converted me; I think I might try reading a few more zombie themed books.

A good balance of action, romance, and erotica set in a unique and interesting world of apocalyptic Australia. Hot story, hot characters and even hotter sex, Flesh gets a well deserved 5 out of 5 stars from me ~<;]

Author Kylie Scott happened to see some of my exuberant comments about her book on facebook, and contacted me to very kindly offer, a digital copy of Flesh for a GIVEAWAY!! Thank you Kylie :)
If you'd like to enter, just use the rafflecopter widget below :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Guest Posting on an Author's Blog

I was lucky enough
(super excited and amazingly honoured)
to be asked to guest post
on the blog of author T.G.Ayer

...and it went live last week :)

If you'd like to see what I had to say
about one of the character's from
her YA book series,
you can check out the
blog post here :)

Blog Tour Book Review: Bonded by Michelle Davidson Argyle

Title: Bonded
Author: Michelle Davidson Argyle
Release Date: November 1st 2012
Publisher: Rhemalda Publishing
Source: Received from the author for an honest review/blog tour

What happened after Cinderella married her prince? How did the evil sorceress in Sleeping Beauty turn evil in the first place? Discover these stories and a world filled with magic, forbidden love, elves, sprites, dragons, and the most powerful creatures of all— the fairies —in Bonded, a collection of three fairy tale inspired novellas.

CINDERS: A Cinderella sequel. Money can’t buy love, but magic isn’t a sure bet either. Cinderella, now officially a princess, finds royal life is not what she once dreamed. When a mysterious elf from her past stirs up long-suppressed passion, Cinderella begins to wonder if there really is love beneath the spell that captured her husband’s heart. But undoing magic can be harder than casting the initial spell, and the results are even less predictable.

THIRDS: A retelling of the Grimm’s fairy tale, One-Eye, Two-Eyes, Three-Eyes. Issina is surrounded by magic, yet none of it belongs to her. Despised and abused by her mother and sisters, she finds comfort when she meets the beautiful elves living in the nearby woods. The elves want to help her discover her own magic, but it’s not the kind of power she hoped for, and she learns there is more to magic than getting what you want.

SCALES: A Sleeping Beauty prequel. The sun never sets in the realm of the fairies. When the young fairy Serina looks into her sister’s eyes, she sees darkness for the first time. After her mother is murdered, Serina defies fairy law to follow her sister to the human realm. There she discovers the strength of a bond, the weight of a promise, and the darkness in her own heart.

My Thoughts

CINDERS: I thought that it started off great, but then headed into a really dark and dreary place that I felt took away from the magic of the start. The writing is great, and the imaginative and creative license taken with classic characters was refreshing and fun. But poor Cinderella had me wishing for a another, new happily ever after for her!
A 3.5 star read :]

THIRDS: I really enjoyed the storyline - again, this was reminiscent of the Cinderella theme (downtrodden youngest sister, made to wait on the family hand-and-foot) but it turned into something so much more.
Great character growth for both the lead and her mother and sisters - a coming of age story, and I enjoyed the magic element very much in this one.
This was my favourite of the three, a very well written 4 star read ;]

SCALES: I wasn't too keen on this one to begin with, it had a completely different feel to it from the first two.
The two sisters are very different from each other in temperament and behaviour and have an underlying competitiveness that made me feel uncomfortable for Serina.
It was a very bittersweet tale of a fairy who really only ever wanted to be loved.
A rather haunting almost 4 star read ;]


LINKS

Author website
Goodreads
Purchase for kindle

Book Trailer: