The Fear by Charlie Higson

The Blurb On The Back:

He doesn’t know it, but DogNut is about to set off a chain of events that will affect every kid in the city.

The sickness struck everyone over the age of fourteen.

Mothers and fathers, older brothers, sisters and best friends. No one escaped its touch. And now children across London are being hunted by ferocious grown-ups …

They’re hungry.
They’re bloodthirsty.
And they aren’t giving up.

DogNut and the rest of his crew set out to find their lost friends on a deadly mission from the Tower of London to Buckingham Palace and beyond, as the sickos lie in wait.

But who are their friends and who are the enemy in this changed world?

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

The third in Charlie Higson’s excellent zombie-style series is another chilling and entertaining read with plenty of bleakness and dark humour. However, it is effectively another prequel to THE ENEMY, which I did find a little irritating given that it’s been so long since the events in that book and I’m keen to find out what happened to the Morrisons and Waitrose crews.

Midwinter Blood by Marcus Sedgewick

The Blurb On The Back:

”I will live seven times
and I will look for you
and love you in each life.
Will you follow?”

In 2073 on the remote and secretive island of Blessed, where rumour has it that no one ages and no children are born, a visiting journalist, Eric Seven, and a young local woman known as Merle are ritually slain.

Their deaths echo a moment ten centuries before, when, in the dark of the moon, a King and his Queen were tragically torn apart. Their souls search to be reunited as mother and son, artist and child, forbidden lovers, victims of a vampire, but only a bloody sacrifice will rekindle their true love.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Marcus Sedgewick’s novel of sacrifice and loss is different to many other YA books out there in terms of its brave use of a cyclical storyline and the clever use of repeated motifs. However for me the overall effect doesn’t quite come off in that I never connected with the two main characters or their plight and the fact that there is repetition made the book feel rather slow to me. Compared with Marcus Sedgewick’s other books, I think it’s okay but not great.

MIDWINTERBLOOD was released in the UK on 6th October 2011. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the ARC of this book.

Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts

The Blurb On The Back:

4
ACROSS THE WORLD, EARTHQUAKES SHUDDER
3
SOMETHING IS RELEASED
2
TRUST NO ONE – NOT EVEN YOURSELF
1
THE KILLING GAME HAS BEGUN …

Moments after earthquakes rock the world, people start to change in the most terrifying of ways. Friends turn on friends, girlfriends on boyfriends, brothers on sisters. A murderous rage has been unleashes. Nobody can be trusted.

For those who survive the first wave of killing, the world is a different, deadlier place. Michael, Aries, Mason and Clementine must battle to stay alive against the odds. All they have is one another … but can they even be sure of that?

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Jeyn Roberts debut novel is a horror tale that’s essentially 28 DAYS LATER meets INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS. There were plenty of things to enjoy about it, particularly the way she keeps the voices of her 4 main characters distinct and the violence is frightening without being disproportionate. However, by having the 4 main characters as narrators, I never really felt as if I connected with them or their individual journeys, which is exacerbated by the ‘road movie’ structure and in addition for a world where everyone is in danger, I never believed that the main characters were in peril. There are enough interesting elements to the story however for me to want to read on but this is basically a premise set up, so I’m hoping that the next book will have more meat to it.

DARK INSIDE was released in the UK on 2nd September 2011. Thanks to Macmillan Children’s Books for the ARC of this book.

Daughter Of Smoke And Bone by Laini Taylor

The Blurb On The Back:

There once was a young artist called Karou who drew tales of monster and demons that delighted and enthralled those around her.

But she has a secret, a secret that ties her to a dusty subterranean chamber, where her beloved guardian brokers dark deals in a place that is not here. A place that is Elsewhere.

Living with one foot in each world, Karou has never really known which one is her true home.

Now the doors to Elsewhere are closing …

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Laini Taylor’s novel, the first in a YA trilogy, is beautifully written and filled with vibrant description. However, there’s more set-up and backstory here than actual plot and I didn’t really believe in or care about the relationship between Karou and Akiva (recounted as it is in large chunks of expositional backstory). That said, the cliff-hanger ending coupled with the feeling that the set-up is going to lead to a great pay-off and the brilliant quality of the writing means that I’m very interested in reading on.

DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE was released in the UK on 29th September 2011. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the ARC of this book.

Heartstone by C. J. Sansom

The Blurb On The Back:

Summer 1545

England is at war. Henry VIII’s invasion of France has gone badly wrong, and a massive French fleet is preparing to sail across the Channel …

Meanwhile, Matthew Shardlake is given an intriguing legal case by an old servant of Queen Catherine Parr. Asked to investigate claims of “monstrous wrongs” committed against his young ward, Hugh Curteys, by Sir Nicholas Hobbey, Shardlake and his assistant Barak journey to Portsmouth. There, Shardlake also intends to investigate the mysterious past of Ellen Fettiplace, a young woman incarcerated in the Bedlam.

Once in Portsmouth, Shardlake and Barak find themselves in a city preparing for war. The mysteries surrounding the Hobbey family, and the events that destroyed Ellen’s family nineteen years before, involve Shadlake in reunions both with an old friend and an old enemy close to the throne. Soon events will converge on board one of the King’s great warships gathered in Portsmouth harbour, waiting to sail out and confront the approaching French fleet …

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

The fifth in C. J. Sansom’s bestselling Shardlake series is an entertaining mystery set against the wider backdrop of an England preparing for invasion. The plot does meander at times to incorporate the historical context, which I enjoyed but if you just want the crime detection then it might be annoying. I was actually more irritated by Shardlake who for me seemed to be astonishingly naïve given his adventures and experiences, purely to set up the denouement. That said, this book kept me turning the pages and I really hope that Shardlake comes back for a sixth book.