Guest Mini-Review: The Storm Begins by Damian Dibben

Image from Amazon

Title: The Storm Begins

Series: The History Keepers

Author: Damian Dibben

Publisher: Corgi Children's

Publication Date: 24 May 2012

Source: Review Copy

Rating: 2/5

Synopsis from Goodreads

When Jake is kidnapped by strangers on a stormy London night he discovers his loving parents have been leading a double life and are now missing, lost somewhere in history. He is plunged into a world of secret societies, dangerous double agents, and a terrifying countdown to oblivion. Transported by a Spanish galleon back to 19th century France, he finds himself in the headquarters of The History Keepers - a remarkable league of time-travelling special agents. The History Keepers preserve the true course of history against those who would change it for their own gain, such as the diabolical Prince Zeldt. Driven by a sense of adventure and a desire to reunite his family, Jake makes the most thrilling - and dangerous - decision of his life.

GUEST REVIEW BY MADISON

Jake's parents have gone missing, they could be anywhere not only in the world but in time itself. Their ability to travel through time and their part in a society called The History Keepers is a secret they have managed to keep from Jake. Jake sets out to find his parents, a task made all the more difficult when he realises that the evil Prince Zeldt is planning to destroy the world.

To be perfectly honest I didn't really enjoy this book, it's appeal is more for younger readers. It has a simple plot making it easy to follow yet I can see how thrilling it would be for a younger reader. The magical element of time-travel was interestingly portrayed, the inclusion of the evil genius in Prince Zeldt made the plot more exciting.

Although I didn't enjoy it myself I wouldn't hesitate in recommending it to younger readers especially boys, as it was a good book just not my personal taste.

Tantalizing Trailers: My Super Sweet 16th Century by Rachel Harris

Title: My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century

Author: Rachel Harris

Publisher: Entangled

Publication Date: 11 Sept 2012

Synopsis from Goodreads

On the precipice of her sixteenth birthday, the last thing lone wolf Cat Crawford wants is an extravagant gala thrown by her bubbly stepmother and well-meaning father. So even though Cat knows the family’s trip to Florence, Italy, is a peace offering, she embraces the magical city and all it offers. But when her curiosity leads her to an unusual gypsy tent, she exits . . . right into Renaissance Firenze.

Thrust into the sixteenth century armed with only a backpack full of contraband future items, Cat joins up with her ancestors, the sweet Alessandra and protective Cipriano, and soon falls for the gorgeous aspiring artist Lorenzo. But when the much-older Niccolo starts sniffing around, Cat realizes that an unwanted birthday party is nothing compared to an unwanted suitor full of creeptastic amore.

Can she find her way back to modern times before her Italian adventure turns into an Italian forever?

Never-Before-Seen Excerpt from MY SUPER SWEET SIXTEENTH CENTURY:

 “I thought I’d teach you a dance from where I come from,” I tell him. “One that’s much easier than that multi-step mess inside.”
I place my left hand on Lorenzo’s shoulder and slip my right one into his. I pause to listen to the music floating over the tinkling voices and bubbling fountain, and begin counting the three-beat tempo. “One, two, three. One, two, three.”
I stand still, only my head moving, slowly nodding with my words so he can hear the rhythm.
When his head begins subtly bobbing with mine, I show him how to add his feet. He takes a tentative step forward with his left while I step back with my right, then we side step, close, and repeat the steps with our other feet, all while I lightly whisper the beat count.
The breeze picks up, blowing my skirt and skimming my veil across the back of my neck. Chills run down my spine, but the warmth coursing through my veins from being in his arms provides a delicious contradiction.
Lorenzo continues nervously darting his eyes to our feet, but he is dancing. As he relaxes into the movement, his shoulders rising and falling with the steps, the confidence he always seems to exude creeps back on his face, and he tightens the hold around me. Our faces are kissably close, our lips a hairs breadth away from touching. I stare into the chocolate depths of his eyes and the rest of the ball fades away. The only music guiding our steps is my light whisper and the erratic rhythm of our breathing. Time slows. Lorenzo grins.
“I think you got it,” I say breathlessly, running my hand along the soft fabric of his shoulder, feeling the rock-hard muscles underneath.
My body curls inward, pressing against his. The proper form for the waltz is a straight spine and shoulders back, but if there was ever a time to break the rules, this is it.

As a teen, I threw raging parties that shook my parents’ walls and created embarrassing fodder for future YA novels.

As an adult, I read and write obsessively, rehash said embarrassing fodder, and dream up characters who become my imaginary friends.

When I'm not typing furiously or flipping pages in an enthralling romance, you can find me homeschooling my two beautiful princesses, hanging out with my amazing husband, or taking a hot bubble bath…next to a pile of chocolate.

MY SUPER SWEET SIXTEENTH CENTURY is my first novel. I did have my own fantabulous Sweet Sixteen in high school. Sadly, it wasn’t televised.

Author website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Tantalizing Trailers: Fever by Dee Shulman Plus Extract

Title: Fever

Series: Fever #1

Author: Dee Shulman

Publisher: Puffin

Publication Date: 5 April 2012

Synopsis from Goodreads

A fearless Roman gladiator. A reckless 21st century girl. A mysterious virus unites them . . . 

152 AD. Sethos Leontis, a skilled and mesmerising fighter, is unexpectedly wounded and lies dangerously close to death.

2012 AD. Eva is brilliant - but troubled. Starting her new life at a school for the gifted, a single moment in the lab has terrifying results.

An extraordinary link brings Sethos and Eva together, but it could force them apart - because the fever that grips them cannot be cured and falling in love could be lethal . . . Can love survive when worlds collide and threaten time itself?

Fever Extract

MG Monday: Guest Review: Black Arts by Prentice and Weil

Title: Black Arts

Series: Black Arts #1

Author: Andrew Prentice and Jonathan Weil

Publisher: David Fickling Books

Publication Date: 29 Mar 2012

Synopsis from Amazon

Elizabethan London: a teeming city of traders and thieves, courtiers and preachers, riff-raff and quality, cut-throats - and demons. When scrunty Jack the 'Judicious Nipper' picks the wrong pocket at the Globe Theatre, he finds himself mixed up in an altogether more dangerous London than he could have imagined - a city in which magic is real and deadly.

An outbreak of devil-worship has led to a wave of anti-witch fervor whipped up by the Elect, a mysterious group of Puritans recognizable from their red-stained right hands, led by the charismatic Nicholas Webb, a growing power at Court. Rumour has it that he wants to purge the city entirely and build a New Jerusalem. Jack has his own reason for hating him: he saw him kill his mother.

Helped by Beth Sharkwell the Thief Princess of Lambeth, Kit Morely the Intelligencer and Dr Dee the Queen's Wizard, Jack pits himself against Webb's Puritans. But this is no straightforward struggle. Things are not as they seem. In fact, ever since his encounter with Webb, there has been something wrong with Jack's vision. He keeps seeing things. Demons.

Black Arts is the first in a series of thrilling time-travel adventures, each bringing the past to glorious life, as Jack and his companions hurtle from one epic struggle to the next.

Jack (Nipper as he is known) is a thief, when he cuts the wrong purse he ends up in a completely different London to the one he is used to. As well as travelling through time he gains the ability to see demons/devils, this is where his search for Preacher Webb begins. Preacher Webb is also the man that killed Jack's mother. Jack is hindered in his search by his ties to his Master, Sharkwell, whose rules must be obeyed or else.

My favorite part of this book happens near the end, I'm not giving away any spoilers. I will say that it was thrilling and interesting in equal measure. I just couldn't put it down, absolutely thrilling. Jack is my favorite character, he is sneaky and sly but he needs to be in order to survive. His cleverness shines through the story.

I have to say that I didn't like how the Intelligencer and The Doctor kept Jack trapped as I think Jack would have been able to discover things necessary to help him in later situations if he hadn't been trapped. I would have really liked to have seen Beth and Jack's relationship develop further and to have seen exactly how Kit escaped captivity. 

I am really looking forward to more in this series and would highly recommend it.

Review: Tempest by Julie Cross

Title: Tempest

Series: Tempest #1

Author: Julie Cross

Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books

Publication Date: 5 Jan 2012

Source: Amazon Vine

Challenge: DAB

Rating: 5/5

Synopsis from Goodreads

The year is 2009. Nineteen-year-old Jackson Meyer is a normal guy… he’s in college, has a girlfriend… and he can travel back through time. But it’s not like the movies – nothing changes in the present after his jumps, there’s no space-time continuum issues or broken flux capacitors – it’s just harmless fun.

That is… until the day strangers burst in on Jackson and his girlfriend, Holly, and during a struggle with Jackson, Holly is fatally shot. In his panic, Jackson jumps back two years to 2007, but this is not like his previous time jumps. Now he’s stuck in 2007 and can’t get back to the future.

Desperate to somehow return to 2009 to save Holly but unable to return to his rightful year, Jackson settles into 2007 and learns what he can about his abilities.

But it’s not long before the people who shot Holly in 2009 come looking for Jackson in the past, and these “Enemies of Time” will stop at nothing to recruit this powerful young time-traveller. Recruit… or kill him.

Piecing together the clues about his father, the Enemies of Time, and himself, Jackson must decide how far he’s willing to go to save Holly… and possibly the entire world.

REVIEW

A fast paced, action filled debut that sweeps you along. Mix time travel, conspiracy theories, secret government departments and romance to give a total page turner.

Told in first person narrative from Jackson's perspective. A privileged yet lonely upbringing with a mostly absentee widowed father. Mystery surrounds both Jackson family history, what exactly does his father do and how did his mother die? Woven into the main plot. The male perspective provides a satisfying insight into the mind of a teenage boy. But Jackson isn't your typical teenage boy and I don't just mean that he has the ability to time-travel. His sensitive nature endeared him to me even if he didn't always know how to express it. 

The plot jumps back and for through time concentrating specifically on 2007 and 2009, the insight the 2009 Jackson brings to his life in 2007 added depth to both the emotion evoked and to the plot. The jump between time frames can initially be confusing, the use of 007 and 009 helped keep the distinction between the time periods clear it also added the underlying parallel of government conspiracies/spies to the plot.

One thing I really wasn't expecting from a book about time-travel was the depth of emotion evoked. As Jackson relives painful episodes of his past while trying to alter the future I became completely invested in his well being and the outcome of events. 

Revelations and action combined with romance and friendships provide a really fast paced plot, the characterisations and interactions throughout are ingeniously portrayed. The concepts explored within the narrative are thought provoking to say the least. Quantum physics, the theory of relativity, chaos theory, string theory along with the idea of parallel universes are all weaved together. As someone that didn't grasp physics especially well in school these theories have always fascinated me. I think these concepts appeal to a wide variety of people even if they are unaware of the fundamental laws of physics or even that they are physics based concepts. 

There are a number of twists within the plot that I can honestly say I wasn't expecting. Nothing can be what it seems, everyone has secrets but the way in which these secrets affect time is skillfully depicted within the story. Events, personalities and interactions all shape who we are, down to the smallest decision. Quite a mind blowing idea when you think about it. 

The fabulous use of music lyrics and song titles used within the narrative provided an additional bonus in my eyes.

This book provides a solid basis for the series, a cliff-hanger type ending has left me literally pining for the next book. I have to say that this is one book that you can immediately picture as a movie. Now that I would definitely like to see.

Tantalising Trailers: Tempest by Julie Cross

Title: Tempest

Series: Tempest

Author: Julie Cross

Publisher: MacMillan Children's Books

Publication Date: 5 Jan 2012

Synopsis from Goodreads

The year is 2009. Nineteen-year-old Jackson Meyer is a normal guy… he’s in college, has a girlfriend… and he can travel back through time. But it’s not like the movies – nothing changes in the present after his jumps, there’s no space-time continuum issues or broken flux capacitors – it’s just harmless fun.

That is… until the day strangers burst in on Jackson and his girlfriend, Holly, and during a struggle with Jackson, Holly is fatally shot. In his panic, Jackson jumps back two years to 2007, but this is not like his previous time jumps. Now he’s stuck in 2007 and can’t get back to the future.

Desperate to somehow return to 2009 to save Holly but unable to return to his rightful year, Jackson settles into 2007 and learns what he can about his abilities.

But it’s not long before the people who shot Holly in 2009 come looking for Jackson in the past, and these “Enemies of Time” will stop at nothing to recruit this powerful young time-traveler. Recruit… or kill him.

Piecing together the clues about his father, the Enemies of Time, and himself, Jackson must decide how far he’s willing to go to save Holly… and possibly the entire world.

I have already read it and I can tell you it is completely awesome. Go pre-order it, you honestly won't regret it. Read an Extract HERE

MG Monday: Guest Mini Review: TroubleTwisters by Garth Nix and Sean Williams

Title: TroubleTwisters
Series: TroubleTwisters
Author: Garth Nix and Sean Williams
Publisher: Egmont
Publication Date: 6 June 2011

Synopsis from Amazon

Twin siblings Jack and Jaide discover they are pivotal to a secret supernatural organisation that protects the earth from marauding Evil! Portland might seem like a quiet coastal town, and their grandmother is perhaps no dottier than anyone else's, but it soon becomes apparent that the strange things going on around them are anything BUT ordinary. It's all very well discovering that you suddenly have magical powers, but when you don't know exactly what they are, or how to use them, then facing impending peril doesn't seem like a very good idea at all...

GUEST REVIEW BY KAIN OF LOU AND KAIN'S GAMES AND BOOKS

The Trouble twisters is an invigorating book that keeps you hooked on every page, from the first to the last, one of the best things about this book is the way it’s written. Its written so that it keeps you trying to guess how the hero or heroine gets out of that situation, it also leaves you on the edge of your seat trying to guess what will happen to the main characters.

It’s the first of a series and I look forward to number 2. 

I would rate this book 4 out of 5 for the writing and the story.

MG Monday: Guest Review: Tomorrows Guardian by Richard Denning

Title: Tomorrows Guardian
Series: Hourglass Institute
Author: Richard Denning
Publisher: Mercia Books
Publication Date: 1 Jan 2011

Source: Author - Thank you




Synopsis: From GoodReads
Experiencing episodes of déjà-vu, eleven year old Tom believes he is going mad. Then, he meets the adventurer Septimus Mason, who shows him that he is a "Walker" - someone who can transport himself to other times. Septimus explains that these abilities can be removed leaving him, once more, an ordinary schoolboy. Given the hurt these talents have caused, the choice would seem easy enough, but it is not so simple. In dreams, Tom has experienced life as other "Walkers" in times of mortal danger: Edward Dyson killed at the Battle of Isandlwana, 1879; Mary Brown who perished in the Great Fire of London, 1666; and finally Charlie Hawker, a sailor who was drowned on a U-boat in 1943.Agreeing to rescue them, Tom has three dangerous adventures before returning to the present day. Tom's finds he has drawn the attention of individuals who seek to bend history to their will. Soon Tom's family are obliterated from existence and Tom must make a choice between saving them and saving his entire world.

Review:
As I have not yet finished the book due to work commitments, this review is a basic guideline of half the story. I’m going ahead anyway. In my opinion, Tomorrow’s Guardian parallels the 2008 film, Jumper as the film involves someone “jumping” from place to place. However in this book the main character “Walks” through time. I also noticed that the main character was named Thomas Oakley, which I recognised from the 1998 film adaptation, Goodnight Mr Tom. I am unsure whether this was a deliberate name choice or whether I’m just reading too much into it.

Anyway onto the book, I thoroughly enjoyed the parts that I have read and I feel that not only can this book provide a good story; it also provides historical facts which I found interesting to read. The book follows the young life of Thomas Oakley, who discovers that he is a “Walker”, which means that he can “walk” through time. His new found powers confuse him as he feels he is going mad. An elder Walker, Septimus Mason, appears and explains to Tom why he has these powers. Of course, Tom wants to get rid of these powers and have a normal childhood. When he meets the Professor of an organisation to aid Walkers, he realises that his powers could be put to some use. Tom has been having dreams of people dying in different times, he discovers that these people are just like him and he must rescue them from death and bring them back to his time. But of course, there’s a villain of the book in the name of Redfield (I think :-L) and he tries to convince Tom to use his powers to change time completely, which can have disastrous results.

I would recommend this book to people who are around Tom’s age (11-12) as I feel that they would enjoy the book much better, but I believe that this book is suitable for all ages due to the historical element and the excitement that grips you to the book.

Thank you to Danni Year 12 for such a honest and insightful review.