Beatbullying's Big March Starts here

At exactly 8am on Monday, November 15th, The Big March begins on Beatbullying's

website and is spotlighted on YouTube's homepage. Led by the very cool and

compassionate Bishop Desmond Tutu and supported by over 750,000 people, The Big

March will cross 60 websites, including MTV, JLS, MSN, Action for Children,

Stardoll, Children England, Netmums, AOL, Orange, and Girlguiding UK.

Together we are raising a voice to ask our Government to protect our children

from bullying, harassment and intimidation by their peers.

You can follow the route here: http://www.beatbullying.org./

If you would like to make a donation to Beatbullying, please click here:

http://www.beatbullying.org/dox/what-you-can-do/i-would-like-to-give-now.html.

In My Mailbox #26

Thank you to the wonderful Story Siren - awesomeness in person form [ : D ]

For Review and then onto UK Book Tours

Thank you to Kristen for allowing me to ask for this after finding and using the book trailer here

The Limit by Kristen Landon

For Review - Thank you Lyndsey

Black Swan Rising by Lee Carroll

From the Library [ : D ]

The Fallen by Thomas E Sniegoski

The Familiars by Adam Epstien

Asda - I just could not resist the cover

Elixir by Hilary Duff

From Jennifer for the School Library

Heavenly by Jennifer Laurens

Going to have to catch up with the commenting later as trying to get to the Kids club movie [ : D ]

Saturday Spotlight: Anti-Bullying Week

Check out these fantastic posts and sites:

Keren David: Saving Lives with their Stories

Lessons on Gay History - Guardian Online

I Heart Daily: We Stop Hate

We Stop Hate YouTube Channel

Bullying UK

Beat Bullying

The Trevor Project - It Gets Better

Anti-Bullying Week Schedule:

Introduction to Advice on Bullying by Bullying UK - at Asamum Booktopia Monday 15th November

Review: The Silence Seeker by Ben Morley - at Susan K Mann Monday 15th November

Review and Giveaway: Dancing in the Dark by Peter Prendergast - at Chicklish Monday 15th November

Review: Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers - at Fluttering Butterflies Monday 15th November

Guest Review: Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli - at Asamum Booktopia Monday 15th November

Review: 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher - at Portrait of a Woman Tuesday 16th November

Trailer Tuesday: Help for coping with Bullying at Asamum Booktopia Tuesday 16th November

Anti-Bullying Week Random Discussion/Rant at Asamum Booktopia Tuesday 16th November

Review: The Killers Daughter by Vivian Oldaker a Fluttering Butterflies Tuesday 16th November

Review: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson - at Asamum Booktopia Wednesday 17th November

Giveaway - Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson - at Fluttering Butterflies Wednesday 17th November

Review: Boys Don't Cry by Malorie Blackman at Heaven, Hell and Purgatory Thursday 18th November

Thursday Tunes: Anti-Bullying Play-list at Asamum Booktopia Thursday 18th November

Guest Post: Tammy at The Book Fairy's Haven: Bullying a Personal Perspective Friday 19th November

Guest Post: Bullying: A Teachers Perspective by Kirtsty at The Overflowing Library Friday 19th November

Review: When I was Joe by Keren David - at Asamum Booktopia Friday 19th November

USA The Trevor Project - It Gets Better - at Asamum Booktopia Friday 19th November

Review: Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver - at Girls Without a Bookshelf Friday 19th November

Please add your link to additional posts about bullying with the Title of the post under Name:

Review: Misguided Angel by Melissa de la Cruz

Title: Misguided Angel

Series: Blue Bloods
Author: Melissa de la Cruz
Publisher: Atom (UK)
Publication Date: 26 Oct 2010

Source: Amazon




Synopsis: From GoodReads
After inheriting the dark Van Alen Legacy, Schuyler fled to Florence with her forbidden love, Jack. Now the two of them must embark on the mission Schuyler was destined to complete: to find and protect the five remaining gates that guard the earth from Lucifer, lord of the Silver Bloods.

Back in New York, Mimi has been elected Regent of a crumbling coven. Struggling with her heartache over the loss of Kingsley and with her overwhelming desire to destroy Jack, she must focus all of her energy on a perilous new threat. Vampires are being abducted and their captors are planning to burn them alive online…for all the world to see. Help arrives in the form of Deming Chen, a Venator from Shanghai, who must untangle the web of deceptions before the killers strike again.
As the young vampires struggle for the survival of the coven, they uncover a deadly secret, a truth first discovered by Schuyler’s mother during the Renaissance but kept buried for centuries. And as the Blue Blood enclave weakens yet further, fate leads Schuyler to a terrible choice that will ultimately map the destiny of her heart

Review:
Misguided Angel starts a few months after the cliffhanging ending of The Van Alen Legacy, we find that events are not turning out the way that we would have expected for most of our main characters. You really do need to read in series order to fully appreciate the intricacies of the plot.

Chapters are divided between continuing the revelations from the past and furthering the action in the present. Sometimes disconcerting as we are unable to put all the pieces together until half way through this book. When it does all click into place, the reader experiences a complete 'light-bulb' moment. The book itself is split into sections varying the focalization and the settings, while developing all threads of the storyline. It completely amazes me that Melissa can keep all the threads so completely under control while remembering all the angles of the storyline.

The writing style is beautifully descriptive along total immersion into the Blue Blood world within my imagination. Some of the descriptions of the food were so sensory I wished I could have the recipes. Via the narrative I was able to fully experience the roller-coaster of emotions the various protagonists felt.

It was amazing how all the central characters were progressed and developed. I cannot go into details for fear of giving away spoilers.  As the plot follows one angle a whole host of different possibilities open up. The story can literally go in any direction.

I completely love this series and cannot wait to see where it is going to go next.

Thursday Tunes: Absolution: Suggested Playlist

Synopsis: From GoodReads
Zoe’s secret is out. And the powers of Hell are ravenous to claim her soul. Her brother, Luke, knows her secret: that she sees both good and evil spirits. Her boyfriend knows. At least Matthias is her guardian angel again. But now Hell’s most ruthless leader will stop at nothing to have her soul.
Albert, Matthias’ father, is relentless in his hunger for Zoe. He wants to destroy Matthias and will use Zoe to do so.
The battle between Heaven and Hell tests everything Zoe has. As she witnesses everyone important in her life suffering, she’s brought to the ultimate choice: will she sacrifice her soul to save the ones she loves?
 

Review here

 

Review: Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev

Title: Eyes Like Stars
Series: Theatre Illuminata
Authour: Lisa Manrchev
Publisher: Square Fish (Macmillan)
Publication Date: 13 April 2010

Source: Library



Synopsis: From GoodReads
All her world's a stage.
Beatrice Shakespeare Smith is not an actress, yet she lives in a theater.
She is not an orphan, but she has no parents.
She knows every part, but has no lines of her own.
Until now.
Welcome to the Théâtre Illuminata, where the characters of every place ever written can be found behind the curtain. They were born to play their parts, and are bound to the Théâtre by The Book—an ancient and magical tome of scripts. Bertie is not one of them, but they are her family—and she is about to lose them all and the only home she has ever known.

Review:
Wow did I completely adore this book. I felt as if I was bathing in a fountain of literary knowledge aiding my quest for education via osmosis.

The 3rd person narrative provides a means of tying all of the characters together and keeping the thread of the plot under tight control. The literary characters are further developed outside of their respective stories, giving them a wonderful roundness while creating a 'modern' persona. Applying both prose and play format added depth to the plot especially with the use of stage directions within the narrative. This blending of different styles of writing also proved to be visually dynamic on the page.

The imagery was so detailed it burst to vivid life within my imagination. I especially liked the 'thinking caps' and could really do with one myself [ : D]

Mainly focalized from Bertie's point of view. She is very creative, the mystery surrounding her appearance at the Theatre is a hinging point of the plot. Via the narrative you have the feeling of wanting to protect her. It must be my mothering instinct kicking in.

The magic of the Theatre is revealed slowly along with Bertie's part in it, beautifully intertwined with mystery. As you may already know I really want to dye my hair purple well after reading this I want it even more [ ; ) ]

This book has it all a fantastic love triangle (give me the bad boy - I was completely drawn to Ariel for me he was the Shakespearean equivalent to Damon in The Vampire Diaries), magic, mystery and romance blended seamlessly to create a wonderful piece of escapism. For me this equals win plus win.

I am desperate to read the sequel Perchance to Dream but the library is having a problem obtaining it *sniff, sniff*

Trailer Tuesday: Shakespeare Twists

Synopsis: From GoodReads
Enter Stage Right
All her world's a stage.
Beatrice Shakespeare Smith is not an actress, yet she lives in a theater.
She is not an orphan, but she has no parents.
She knows every part, but has no lines of her own.
Until now.
Welcome to the Théâtre Illuminata, where the characters of every place ever written can be found behind the curtain. They were born to play their parts, and are bound to the Théâtre by The Book—an ancient and magical tome of scripts. Bertie is not one of them, but they are her family—and she is about to lose them all and the only home she has ever known.

Synopsis: From GoodReads

Act Two, Scene One

Growing up in the enchanted Thèâtre Illuminata, Beatrice Shakespeare Smith learned everything about every play ever written. She knew the Players and their parts, but she didn’t know that she, too, had magic. Now, she is the Mistress of Revels, the Teller of Tales, and determined to follow her stars. She is ready for the outside world.

Enter BERTIE AND COMPANY

But the outside world soon proves more topsy-turvy than any stage production. Bertie can make things happen by writing them, but outside the protective walls of the Thèâtre, nothing goes as planned. And her magic cannot help her make a decision between—

Nate: Her suave and swashbuckling pirate, now in mortal peril.

Ariel: A brooding, yet seductive, air spirit whose true motives remain unclear.

When Nate is kidnapped and taken prisoner by the Sea Goddess, only Bertie can free him. She and her fairy sidekicks embark on a journey aboard the Thèâtre’s caravan, using Bertie’s word magic to guide them. Along the way, they collect a sneak-thief, who has in his possession something most valuable, and meet The Mysterious Stranger, Bertie’s father—and the creator of the scrimshaw medallion. Bertie’s dreams are haunted by Nate, whose love for Bertie is keeping him alive, but in the daytime, it’s Ariel who is tantalizingly close, and the one she is falling for. Who does Bertie love the most? And will her magic be powerful enough to save her once she enters the Sea Goddess’s lair?