The Colours Of Madeleine #1

THE COLOURS OF MADELEINE:
A Corner Of White by Jaclyn Moriarty

Letters Through Worlds!

A girl in the world has found a corner of white. The edge of a letter hidden within a crack in the world. The crack is actually in a parking meter and the letter is from outside the world. Or so it would have her believe. But the more letters that arrive the more she might believe, for her world is not as it should be, not at all as she wants it to be and the letters from another place are the only thing that will help her believe in the impossible and save her from her loneliness.

A boy outside the world in a far away kingdom has been travelling for sometime but has yet to find what he is seeking, that is until he discovers a corner of white. The edge of a letter hidden within a crack in the kingdom, a crack that just happens to be in a sculpture his friend made that sits within his schools grounds. At once he believes in the world, and what he learns from the world will help him to uncover a truth, and save him from his wanderings.

A Corner Of White brings hope and changes lives. A crack in the world will help to bring colour, acceptance and friendship to an otherwise grey and desolate life. A crack in the kingdom will help bring order, knowledge and family to an otherwise chaotic and unpredictable life. A charismatic, witty and touching introduction to two worlds, to lives, connected through colour, loss and the words of a stranger through a crack in the world.

Jaclyn Moriarty Webpage

Jaclyn Moriarty @ Pan Macmillan

On sale: 01 October 2012
Price (AU): $27.99
ISBN: 9781742611396
Recommended age: 13+
In a word: Colours
Re-read it: probably
Recommend: yes
Star rating: four out of five
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Blog Tour - Blood Storm

Blog Tour - Blood Storm

The Blood Storm Cover
Guest Post by Rhiannon Hart

Blood Storm - Cover

  

The cover of Blood Storm features the same cover girl as Blood Song, a young woman from the States called Ana. She takes photographs of herself that she posts free online, for use by digital artists. One such artist created the gorgeous darkened forest scene that you see on Blood Song.

For the Blood Storm cover, I'm not exactly sure who worked on the photo to turn it into Zeraphina with her hair blowing in the wind and that gorgeous detail on the dress, but I think it might have been the designer, Astred. She developed four cover concepts, two in which Zeraphina is standing on the deck of a boat and two where she's standing in a desert. The desert scenes were lovely, one dark blue and the other in the golds and pinks of dawn. But lovely as they were, they didn't go with the "storm" in the title. One of the boat scenes was a possibility, but looked a bit funny. The other was really great, with it's pointy prow and stormy sky with the stars peeping through. Best of all, it was reminiscent of one of the scenes of the book, as the cover of Blood Song is. But it still wasn't perfect.

Astred went through dozens and dozens of pictures of boats, looking for exactly the right one. It was hard, as there aren't a great deal of pictures taken from the perspective of someone standing on the deck of a boat, and one that is also ye olde in appearance. So the boat, much to my disappointment, was scrapped.

When I was finally presented with the cover almost as you see it now, it took a while for me to love it. But the more I looked, the more it grew on me. The crashing waves were very beautiful, and Zeraphina did look like she was standing on the shore, which she never quite did with the boat covers. Then Griffin was added, and I fell in love with it completely. And that's the story of the cover.

Blood Storm Chapter 1

Rhianna Hart - Author

  

Rhiannon Hart remembers writing before she could read, puzzling over the strange squiggles in Jeremiah and the Dark Woods by Janet and Alan Ahlberg and putting her own words in their places. Her first love was Jareth the Goblin King at the tender age of eight. She wrote fan fiction in high school but she'd never admit to it out loud, so don't ask. When she's not reading or writing she is belly dancing, chasing after other people's cats, or putting the pedal to the floor at her sewing machine. She grew up in north-western Australia and currently resides in Melbourne, where she works in marketing. Rhiannon has been published in the Australian Book Review, Magpies and Viewpoint and blogs at http://rhiannon-hart.blogspot.com/.

Thanks to Rhiannon for all your hard work in putting together this blog tour.

For the next stop on the
Blood Storm Blog Tour
tomorrow visit
The Eclectric Reader.

The Forsaken book 1

THE FORSAKEN:
The Forsaken by Lisa Stasse

An Uncontrolled Mind!

At sixteen Alanna was about to face the governments 'test'. She knew she wouldn't fail, couldn't fail. There was no way she was defective in any way, a danger to society. Being shown a glimpse of someone who had failed the 'test' was meant to be a deterrent, and for the rest of her class mates it was; the boy was dirty, wild and to be feared. But for Alanna there was something about those blue eyes of his that drew her to him, like she and he were connected in some way. Even so, waking up to discover she had failed the 'test' and was abandoned on Prison Island Alpha still came as quite a shock.

Six years ago her parents were cruelly taken from her in the dead of night by policemen, that same night she entered the orphanage believing her parents were dead, or if not they soon would be. Ever since then she has followed the rules, kept to herself, maintained good grades. But none of those things matter on Prison Island Alpha. Here everything is life or death and Alanna now has to fight if she is to survive. But Alanna is learning more then how to wield a weapon, she is discovering the excitement of first love, finding out that everything she knew was a lie and uncovering the truth that comes only with lose and sacrifice.

The Forsaken are teens exiled from society for their antisocial and dangerous behaviour, or so the government would have you believe, to be shipped off to live out the rest of there very short lives on an island prison. Divided into two tribes, Prison Island Alpha holds more danger that just waring tribes, there are secrets hidden deep within the islands past, secrets that hold the key to bringing down a corrupt government. But first they will have to survive the island and escape, but not everyone will be lucky enough to make it out alive. A fast paced and danger filled beginning to a new dystopian series.

Lisa Stasse Webpage

Lisa Stasse @ Hachette Children's

On sale: 01 August 2012
Price (AU): $16.99
ISBN: 9781408318805
Recommended age: 12+
In a word: Forsaken
Re-read it: probably
Recommend: yes
Star rating: three out of five
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FLOWER FAIRIES: A Treasury Of Flower Fairies

FLOWER FAIRIES:
A Treasury Of Flower Fairies
by Cicely Mary Barker

A Collection To Treasure!

From small beginnings as seeds they grow

Into wondrous fairies whose flowers we know.

From each bloom, each bud, petal and wing

Is seen a rainbow of colours to make your heart sing.

But while some of these fairies may be as old friends

There are others to discover, with much love to send.
  

A Treasury Of Flower Fairies is perfect for your home

As it's filled with fairy images and each with a poem.

Each fairy and flower is beautifully detailed with care

Shown in each pencil stroke and each word delivered with flair.

So take a moment to ponder and skip through these pages

But be warned, stay too long and you might be gone ages.

Flower Fairies

On sale: 03 November 1993
ISBN: 9780723237969
Recommended age: 6+
In a word: Fairies
Re-read it: yes
Recommend: yes
Star rating: five out of five
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Betty Bib's Fairy Handbook

Betty Bib's Fairy Handbook
by Betty Bib

'A Field Guide To Fairies And Their Habbits'

Fairies come in all shapes and sizes and their moods are as varied as yours and mine. Though fond of nature and sweets and laughter there are also fairies that live under your very nose. Either causing mischief or helping out round the home as they so desire, for the most part fairies go about unseen, though occasionally you may feel there presence. When socks go missing, cakes are baked, surfaces are found clean or else powdered footprints are discovered in miniature, you can be sure that fairies are near.
 

Betty Bib's Fairy Handbook is a detailed guide to all things fairy. As an ambassador for PUFF (Promoting Understanding of Fairy Folk) the author has delivered a comprehensive, sensitive and enjoyable guide to the fairy world detailing the lives, looks and sleeping habits of fairies. Not to mention a greater understanding of these elusive folk and how we might better attract fairies into our everyday lives. A beautifully whimsical guide filled with illustrations and photos to enjoy and ponder.

Betty Bib's Webpage

On sale: 30 November 2005
ISBN: 9781844831944
Recommended age: 6+
In a word: Fairies
Re-read it: yes
Recommend: yes
Star rating: five out of five
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Disaster #1

DISASTER:
Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire

Love Will Break Your Heart!

When Abby met Travis, a smoking, gambling, fighter with a bad reputation, he was exactly the sort of boy she was trying to avoid. Yet somehow he was the exact boy she could not seem to get away from. Despite her best efforts Abby was falling for Travis, but with her stubbornness and his determination this relationship was never going to run smoothly.

Beautiful Disaster is entirely Abby's point of view of her volatile yet passionate relationship with Travis, a relationship that is at times the equivalent of a train wreck. Watching, or reading, this mishap called love is scary crazy and yet you can not turn away from the disaster that is Abby and Travis. A roller coaster of a book that fully lives up to its title.

Jamie McGuire Webpage

Jamie McGuire @ Simon & Schuster

On sale: 01 August 2012
Price (AU): $17.99
ISBN: 9781471115035
Recommended age: 18+
In a word: Disaster
Re-read it: probably
Recommend: yes
Star rating: four out of five
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Wild Child

Wild Child by Jeanne Willis
illustrated by Lorna Freytag

Into The Wild!

In the wild lives a child, she lives all alone. She is the last of her kind and the earth is her home. Other children lived there once, but they were all taken away. Made to stop and sit still, made to behave and to stay. But one child in the wild is still free to be, never tamed and held back, she is happy and free.

Wild Child is curious, adventurous and brave. Enter her world and you'll want to stay. She lives in a world filled with nature, beauty and fun. She'll make you want to play, skip, hop and run. She is an inspiration as is the images that hold her, and her simple little story will bring pleasure, wonder and laughter.

Jeanne Willis Webpage
Lorna Freytag Webpage
Mary Losure @ Walker Books

On sale: 01 January 2012
Price (US): $27.95
ISBN: 9781406323085
Recommended age: 1-5
In a word: Wild
Re-read it: yes
Recommend: yes
Star rating: five out of five
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Aurora Teagarden Omnibus 2

AURORA TEAGARDEN:
The Aurora Teagarden Mysteries Omnibus 2
by Charlaine Harris

There Is More To Life Then Murder!

Dead Over Heals.

A man falls out of the sky to land squarely in Aurora's, or Roe's, back yard and questions are raised, besides the obvious that is. But Roe is distracted by other matters. Now fully settled into married life the honeymoon is definitely over and Roe has found herself a little bored, restless and to be honest a little lonely, what with all the travel her husband does for business. But others too have noticed her husband's absence and are taking advantage of the situation to declare there own feelings. Of cause all this has nothing to do with the body that fell out the sky to land in her yard. Or does it?

A Fool And His Honey.

Roe was having the worst day of her life and things were only going to get worse. When an unexpected guest drops in leaving an unwelcomed burden on Roe's shoulders, they also leave behind a murder to solve and a missing person to find. But as its family that has landed trouble on Roe's door step she can hardly walk away. So as the lies and deceptions unfold into a twisted family feud, this misadventure will turn out to be the worst Roe will ever have to face. And a murderous plan will only end in blood and tears leaving Roe alone to pick up the pieces.

Last Scene Alive.

It has been almost a year since Roe's world was shattered, and in that time her life has come to a complete stand still. Unable to move on Roe is stuck, living in the past with only her grief for company. That is until she is visited by an old flame from the past. But with him comes a reminder of a dark and murderous past the size of a Hollywood film crew. Although the movie crew is entirely unwelcomed, Roe does find something worthwhile to hold on to, despite her stepsons visit, an actress's murder and the dangerous threats to her own life.

Poppy Done To Death.

It was no secret that Poppy, Roe's stepsister in law, was cheating on her husband, nor was it any great secret that the husband was also stepping out. So Roe, despite her fondness for Poppy, always kind of knew the marriage wouldn't last. What Roe didn't expect, however, was for the marriage to end in murder. But with so many possibilities of scorned lovers and enraged spouses, as many of Poppy's lovers were married, Poppy's murder could only be a result of her cheating ways. Right?

Aurora Teagarden Mysteries Omnibus 2 is an engaging collection of the last four books in this murder mystery series. Aurora, or Roe as she is known, is still a librarian; however she is no longer shy about expressing who she is or what she wants. Shrewd and determined, Roe's interest in murder and mystery is still as strong as ever, as is her perchance for finding herself in awkward and perilous situations. Entertaining as ever, these crafty and intelligent murder mysteries are the perfect way to spend the day.

Charlaine Harris Webpage

Charlaine Harris @ Hachette

On sale: 01 April 2011
Price (AU): $35.00
ISBN: 9780575096509
Recommended age: 18+
In a word: Aurora / Murder
Re-read it: yes
Recommend: yes
Star rating: four out of five
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Starters and Enders #1

STARTERS AND ENDERS:

Starters by Lissa Price

Its Not What's Inside That Counts So Much As Who's Inside!

  

The place seemed like something out of a nightmare, people too friendly to be sincere, a deal too good to be true and all for the low price of her body to rent out to the highest bidder.  Three rentals and it would be over, she would sleep through the whole thing and all in the blink of an eye she would have her body back, her life back and a large sum of cash for her trouble.

The cash was the only reason she ever considered it in the first place. With her little brother all she has left in the world she had to protect him, and a life on the streets was doing nothing for his health. But when she wakes to find herself living a life that is not her own, with cash in one hand and a gun in the other, she uncovers the beginnings of a murderous plot, but is she able to hold on to her body long enough to stop the murder and save herself.

Starters are treated as second class citizens in this new post war world. With no legal rights many starters are forced to live on the streets, or worse they end up in prisons. In a world that exploits, captures and brutalizes its children, where lives are brought and sold and no one is who they seem, this dystopian story makes you wonder at the possibilities, and give you nightmares of a world gone wrong.

Lissa Price Webpage

Lissa Price @ Random House

On sale: 20 March 2012
Price (AU): $24.95
ISBN: 9780857531353
Recommended age: 16+
In a word: Prime Destinations
Re-read it: yes
Recommend: yes
Star rating: four out of five
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Starters and Enders #0.5

STARTERS AND ENDERS:

Portrait Of A Starter: An Unhidden Story by Lissa Price

A Drawing Of Things To Come!

   

When he first put pencil to paper it was to capture her likeness, to capture the essence of a girl he knew and trusted. In this new world after the war there was little that was for curtain anymore but this was, she was. Until his curiosity and protective nature got the better of him and he realized that maybe he didn't know her as well as he thought. When he had finally finished her likeness he realized that he captured more them just an image of a girl, it was a portrait of a starter.

Portrait Of A Starter is Michael's perspective of life as a sixteen year old in this post war world. It is a world where the Enders, those who are over sixty, have it all while the Starters, those who are under twenty, are left to live on the streets or worse in institutions with nothing more then what they can beg, borrow or steal. It is an introduction to a unique dystopian world, an introduction to boy living with nothing more then what he can draw, an introduction to a girl with secrets.

Lissa Price Webpage

Lissa Price @ Random House

On sale: 14 February 2012
Price eBook (AU): $2.95
ISBN: 9781448121304
Recommended age: 16+
In a word: Portrait
Re-read it: yes
Recommend: yes
Star rating: four out of five
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