Half Bad by Sally Green [Review]

Written by: Sally Green.

Published by: Penguin.

Format: Paperback.

Released: 27th March 2014.

Rating: 5/5.

Official synopsis: "Wanted by no one. Hunted by everyone. Sixteen-year-old Nathan lives in a cage: beaten, shackled, trained to kill. In a modern-day England where two warring factions of witches live amongst humans, Nathan is an abomination, the illegitimate son of the world's most terrifying and violent witch, Marcus. Nathan's only hope for survival is to escape his captors, track down Marcus, and receive the three gifts that will bring him into his own magical powers—before it's too late. But how can Nathan find his father when there is no one safe to trust, not even family, not even the girl he loves?"

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I have to make a massive, MASSIVE, admission here. I put off reading this book time and time and time again. I have actually lost count of how many times I picked the book up, seriously thought about it and opened up the first page, only to change my mind and read something else instead. It wasn't that the premise of the book didn't hook me in. It was my own apprehension, my own fear, that stopped me from reading Half Bad. I have talked many a time about hype and how it is something that can either be a good thing or a bad thing, and that at times it can even put people off of something for fear that it just ins't going to live up to the hype that it's getting. That was me with Half Bad. I wanted to read it, Lord knows I did, but every time I picked it up something stopped me and I don't know why. And now I hate that even more because as soon as I actually started to read the book I was sold. I was hooked so deep into the story that I read massive chunks in one sitting, despite the fact I had work and life. I just couldn't put it down.

Some would be turned off by the writing style, which flips between first and second person with such fluidity that it doesn't take any time at all to readjust it just flows so well. I personally loved this, especially once I really got into it. Sometimes I wouldn't even notice a change, I just kept racing on through which is something I loved about the book. It is just such a page turner!

It is brutal, incredibly, spine-tinglingly brutal. So much blood. So much violence. And permanent damage - I'm not even going to go into it too deeply because it was something that took me totally and completely unawares and I think it should do that to all readers for it to have its true shock value. Just trust me when I say you will squirm and fidget uncomfortably. I had to put the book down, physically I had to stop reading just for a few moments to compose myself before diving back into it, it was that effective!

I also love the dynamics between the characters. Sally has created a wonderful, lovable and sometimes love-to-hate cast. From Nathan himself, to the dastardly Marcus. From Annalise to, my personal favourite, Gabriel - who can I just say, hope finds love before the series is over! I adore him! Gah. Sally knows this. There have been tweets. Just... GAH! GABRIEL!!! <3 span="">

I also really enjoyed the dynamics between the different witches. The white witches, the black witches and the singular half code, Nathan. White witches are good. Black witches are bad. Half codes are dangerous and need to be tested, watched, analysed. 

There have been a lot of comparisons to Harry Potter and I get that. Both books are so totally different but I think it's the characters that makes the comparison for me. Both the characters in Half Bad and Harry Potter feel so fully fleshed out, both are epic tales of coming of age despite the looming darkness overhead, even if that darkness comes from within too. I remember hearing Andrew from The Pewter Wolf describe Half Bad as being Harry Potter on acid, and I have to say he isn't far from the truth at all! This book is incredible. Insane. Mind boggling. Powerful. But totally incredible. I don't know what I was ever afraid of! I have to say thank you to Andy, Rhys, George and Ben (the editor of the book...) for encouraging me to FINALLY pick it up! I cannot thank you guys enough and I apologise now for all my "I'll read it later" tweets. Do I feel like an idiot? Err, yeah I do! Luckily I have Half Wild on my kindle so it won't be long before I read the sequel either! Wahoo!

My thanks, also, to Puffin for actually sending me the proof copy... a year ago! Damn! What a missed opportunity! I missed out on this big time and cannot believe how bad I feel!

This Book Is Gay by James Dawson [Review]

NB - I don't know what took me so long to review this, I read it just after it came out and absolutely adored it and I had meant to review it but my list of things to do grew and grew and overtook me... Oh well, better late than never, right?

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Written by: James Dawson.

Published by: Hot Key Books.

Format: Paperback.

Released: 4th September 2014.

Rating: 5/5.

Official synopsis: "Former PSHCE teacher and acclaimed YA author James Dawson gives an uncensored look at what it's like to grow up as LGBT. Including testimonials from people across the gender and sexual spectrums, this frank, funny, fully inclusive book explores everything anyone who ever dared to wonder wants to know - from sex to politics, how to pull, stereotypes, how to come-out and more. Spike Gerrell's hilarious illustrations combined with funny and factual text make this a must-read."

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Oh James! James, James, James, James, JAMES! You wonderful, wonderful man, you! 

I do not normally read non-fiction. People that know me know that I actively hate non-fiction. I'm not a big fan of biographies, autobiographies, fact books, any books to do with research or anything that that. Generally I find them boring and will only read them if it's something I am particularly interested in (I think to date I only own 3 autobiographies...). I'm more of a fiction kind of guy. I love being in made up worlds, made up situations, with made up people... Characters. And someone who's fiction I love very much is Mr. James Dawson himself. Author of the witchy tale Hollow Pike, sun, sea, sand and murder tome Cruel Summer, and school girl haunting Say Her Name, James has captivated a wide audience. And when I first heard about This Book Is Gay, I just knew I had to break my own reading limitations and read it because coming from James it was bound to be good.

And you know what? I was surprised just how much I enjoyed this book. I thought I might as James had said it was funny as well as informative and this was something I was a bit worried about. Was it simply going to be a big information dump? Fact after fact after fact, that although it was designed for the YA market it would still have the usual non-fiction feel, almost a clinical kind of cleanliness and way of delivering information. But that couldn't of been further from the truth. What is actually contained within the brightly coloured cover is a fun, sometimes gut-wrenchingly funny, well thought out and delivered book that doesn't feel like learning at all. It is informative, don't get me wrong. As a gay male myself I found myself relating to thinks in the book. I read bits and experiences similar to my own and also things that I didn't know, or haven't yet encountered. 

I loved the whole thing. From the section on stereotypes, to gay icons, it kept me glued to the page as much as any thriller ever has. It's so well executed that I cannot thank James enough for its existence and Hot Key Books enough for actually publishing it. The book itself feels so important. If this book had been around 10 years ago, heck, even 5 years ago, I feel like my own adolescence and transition into an adult would of been a million times easier. It's not a secret that I struggled with coming to terms with my own sexuality until as last as the end of 2013 but we never had anything remotely like this. We never had anything that showed it was okay to be gay and that it wasn't that different from being straight, things were just a little different. This book really opened my eyes and actually made me mourn for the years of my life I wasted worrying and hiding - it had almost the same affect on me that David Levithan's Two Boys Kissing did, only this one showed me things I had never imagined! I'd never thought about sterotypes and the like.

The book is also a great form of sex-ed for young gay people, both male and female. It isn't that explicit but it's the sort of information you are NEVER taught in school and I find this so valuable and important. I had a brief twitter convo with George or as you may know him GesterG91 on BookTube/YouTube and we both agreed that the book should become required reading in schools and I couldn't argue this point more if I tried. Whilst I do think the book is very good for LGBT people I also believe it would be a very beneficial read for many straight people too. Gay people are all to often brushed aside by straight people and it is something I see and experience every day and think the book would help give some people a little bit of understanding, a bit of an idea of what it might be like to be a bit different to the norm.

So I am rambling, I am aware. I just cannot express my love for this book enough. It's just... GAH! One of my favourite books I've read yet and the best piece of nonfiction I have ever encountered, that is for sure!

Please, please, please, give this book a go! I promise you won't be disappointed, it is James after all, the man is incredible! 

Thank you so much to Hot Key Books for sending me a copy.

The Young Elites by Marie Lu [Review]

Written by: Marie Lu.
Published by: Putnam.
Format: Hardback.
Released: 7th October 2014.
Rating: 5/5.

Official synopsis: "Adelina Amouteru is a survivor of the blood fever. A decade ago, the deadly illness swept through her nation. Most of the infected perished, while many of the children who survived were left with strange markings. Adelina's black hair turned silver, her lashes went pale, and now she has only a jagged scar where her left eye once was. Her cruel father believes she is a malfetto, an abomination, ruining their family's good name and standing in the way of their fortune. But some of the fever's survivors are rumored to possess more than just scars-they are believed to have mysterious and powerful gifts, and though their identities remain secret, they have come to be called the Young Elites. Teren Santoro works for the king. As Leader of the Inquisition Axis, it is his job to seek out the Young Elites, to destroy them before they destroy the nation. He believes the Young Elites to be dangerous and vengeful, but it's Teren who may possess the darkest secret of all. Enzo Valenciano is a member of the Dagger Society. This secret sect of Young Elites seeks out others like them before the Inquisition Axis can. But when the Daggers find Adelina, they discover someone with powers like they've never seen. Adelina wants to believe Enzo is on her side, and that Teren is the true enemy. But the lives of these three will collide in unexpected ways, as each fights a very different and personal battle. But of one thing they are all certain: Adelina has abilities that shouldn't belong in this world. A vengeful blackness in her heart. And a desire to destroy all who dare to cross her."

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As a fan of Marie's previous work, the Legend trilogy (although I do still need to read the final book, Champion), I had an inkling that I was rather going to enjoy this book. And I wasn't wrong.

The Young Elites is, I will go as far to say, Marie's best work yet. It is, quite simply put, incredible. The pacing. The action. The darkness. The world. The characters. It is all balanced so, so well and I couldn't get enough - I just did not want the book to end!

It follows Adelina, a malfetto, marked by a blood fever that swept across the land claiming countless lives and leaving the survivors marked in some way. But as the years went on, it became apparent that those marked also had the chance to have unexplained powers. Control over fire, control over animals, control over the wind, super speed. Even, or so it has been rumoured, the ability to bring the dead back to life. Adeline discovers her power on the same night that her father dies and she is blamed. He's mistreated her her whole life, showing his love on his un-marked daughter, Violetta, always saying just how worthless Adelina is, but she isn't as worthless as he might think. She is an illusionist, able to conjure up images of terrible demons and more besides. Accused of murdering her father, Adelina waits for her execution and when the Lead Inquisitor, Teren, shows up she wonders why. Just at the last moment, as Teren is about light the pile of wood at Adelina's feet to begin her execution, she is saved and weaves an image to help her saviours. 

Rescued and carted off to a mystery room, Adelina wonders who has saved her and soon comes to learn that it is the Young Elites. A band of malfetto's who have joined together to help end the tyranny of the king and the persecution of all other malfetto's who are only tolerated in society, looked down upon. The Dagger Society trains Adelina to use her powers, to grow into them, but Adelina is hading darkness inside of her, a darkness that swells and grows as the book goes on and could spell disaster. As Adelina struggles with choices between right and wrong, choices that benefit only herself or those that would benefit countless others, things only get worse and build to a stunning conclusion.

What I really love about The Young Elites is that it isn't a story about heroism. Oh no. There are no heroes here. Both sides do terrible, depraved things to further their own means. This isn't really a story about right and wrong. It's about doing what you have to do to get what you want. It feels so refreshing to read - normally we are always on the side of the good guy, reading along as they battle forces of great evil and darkness. Whereas with this book, we're instead alongside Adelina who isn't really sure what side she is on, isn't really sure what she wants and cannot help but feed the darkness inside of her, poisoning her own mind.

I cannot get over just how awesome this book is. The characters really are a great bunch. From Adelina, to the dark, brooding Enzo. From Teren and his Inquisitors of the Inquisition Axis to Queen Guiletta and her dark, snake like charm, plotting against her husband, the King. I was so addicted to this book and in love with it - literally a perfect read! The only reason it isn't included in my end of year list for last year is because I had already completed and posted the list before I finished reading this book! Otherwise it would be there for sure! 

It even has LGBT characters and relationships in it with such a casual air to it that it's just normal. It isn't important to the characters that they might be gay or bi, or whatever, it's just how they are and it's fine, accepted. This was a breath of fresh air too as all to often the fact that a character is LGBT is the main struggle, whereas in this book it takes a back seat and isn't so much a plot point, more just a character trait and it is handled so well that I almost glanced over it every time it popped up and wouldn't of taken a big of notice had I not realised and said BUT THIS IS YA! LGBT IS GROUNDBREAKING STUFF, THIS IS GROUNDBREAKING STUFF... FANTASTIC! And with the way it's ended and the hints at the end, I'm pretty sure we are going to be seeing more of it!

And the writing! I knew Marie's prose were great but this one just knocks it all out of the park. The narrative is perfect, Adelina's voice is so convincing and real you cannot help but feel her fear along with her. It is a cracking read and damn well hard to put down. I cannot recommend it highly enough, and with it being the last book I finished in 2014, I cannot think of a better read to end the year on! I loved it so much and I cannot wait for the sequel, which we now know to be titled The Rose Society! It's out in October and I cannot freaking wait!!!!

Author of the Year 2014

This is a new feature here at Empire of Books and it is something I have been thinking about for the last few years but for some reason or another I just never got around to it. At this time of year all the blogs are posting their end of year lists. Best covers, best books released that year, best books they've read that year regardless of when they are published. The lists go on and on. And yes, I have them lists as well but I have wanted to do an Author of the Year for a while so I am now going to do it|! No more idling around just thinking about things I can do. I'm just going to do it!

So, welcome to the inaugural Empire of Books Author of the Year award! Ha! Snazzy, huh?!

Anyway, lets get on with things! I have been trying to decide who to pick as my author of 2014 for a while and it was between a few names but I finally made my decision and I'm sticking with it, because as far as I can see it, no one deserves it more than he does at this moment in time! Ooh! There you go! I said he! It's a he! And he is a he to be reckoned with, let me tell you!

Author or not one, not two, but three cracking YA novels that feature withces, Summer holidays full of murder and deceit and a bit of Halloween fun gone wrong, he has proven himself as a staple of YA fiction today and deserves every success. But he doesn't just write YA! Oh no, he has his fingers in many pies does this man! He always writes informative, fun and downright important non-fiction. From being a boy, and growing up in a male body, to what it is to be gay and what you have to look forward to in the world and how to deal with your sexuality, he isn't just a talented voice, he is an important one that we should cherish!

So, ladies, gentlemen and peoples of the internet... My Author of the Year for 2014 is none other than...

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Keep going....

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Nearly there, I promise you, I just want to draw this out, like the X-Factor winning moment....

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MR. JAMES DAWSON

Ever since he came on the scene a few years ago with his wickedly good debut, Hollow Pike, James has enthralled myself and countless other readers with characters as real and vivid as you or I. His writing is so addictive and encapsulating that are are drawn into his worlds so quickly. Through the sweltering, blood-tinged heat of Cruel Summer to the cold, damp and haunted corridors of Say Her Name, James has proven that he is a talent to be reckoned with and if you haven't read any of his work yet, where the hell have you been? Get with the programme guys!

As you may of seen, James also features in my end of year book list with This Book Is Gay. A non fiction book that made me laugh, very nearly made me cry but most of all made me proud of who I am and what I am. As I said above, his voice is so important and honest and should be cherished and nurtured. 

I for one cannot wait to see what 2015 has in store, what with Under My Skin coming out in a few months time and god knows what else he has up his sleeves!

It isn't much of a trophy, James, mostly because I am broke (haha) but please accept this award. The inaugural Empire of Books Author of the Year award! You are, most definitely, a tough act to follow!

(If you click on it to enlarge it you can read it better! Haha!)

Bookish Christmas Q and A

The lovely Jess over at Jess Hearts Books (honestly, check her blog out, it is so good!) made a great post last Friday full of bookish Christmassy questions and it looks and sounds like a lot of fun and she said people are welcome to do their own so I am taking her up on that offer as I want something to really kick start my Christmas spirit and what better way to do that than to talk about some amazing books! Lets get cracking!

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1.) Advent Calendar: what's the next big book release you're counting down to?

Something I am really looking forward to in 2015 is The Death Code by Lindsay Cummings. It is the sequel to The Murder Complex, which just so happens to be one of my favourite books published this year! Her writing is so fresh and vivid and her characters are adorable, and I cannot wait to see what is going to happen next in Meadow and Zephyr's lives!

2.) Snow Day: which best friends from a book could keep you entertained all day long?

I love the dynamics of the relationship and Celaena and Dorien in Sarah J. Maas' Throne of Glass books (no spoilers for Heir of Fire please! I haven't read that one yet!!!) They're both just so much fun and when they are around each other it's a mixture of flirting and friendship and also sometimes contempt. I love them.

3.) The Nativity: which book/series would you most like to see adapted into a movie, TV show, play etc?

I would love to see Darren Shan's Zom-B series be made into a tv show. I think it would work better that way. It's so graphic and so well described, that I think some of the events would make it an eighteen movie and at least if it was on telly it could go out post-watershed and it could still be a real success... I would also loved to the the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series be made into movies. It's a great series that I feel is grossly underrated. I know the rights were sold a while back, then bought back and sold again for them to be made into tv movies, but nothing has been announced or mentioned for quite a while and as a long term fan who really wants to see the books explode even more than they have already it is quite frustrating!

4.) Carol Singing: which musical book character/s would you like to turn up on your doorstep caroling this Christmas? 

Katniss Everdeen. Thankfully, we kind of do have Katniss singing thanks to JLaw's incredible performance! I love that they did The Hanging Tree in Mockingjay Part 1 and that they did it justice. It is such a beautiful song that Katniss could just sing that to me and I would still be in the Christmassy mood! I also think she would do a mean rendition of Jingle Bells!

5.) The Perfect Gift: which book from your wish list would you most like to find under your tree on Christmas morning?
I am such a bad person when it comes to knowing what I would like for Christmas. I am something of an impulse buyer so I do buy a lot of the books I want as and when they come out so there aren't normally many left that I haven't already got and any there are are ones that aren't out yet! One that I haven't yet purchased though but would love for Christmas is Harry Potter: The Creature Vault. It just looks like such a beautiful book and I have heard nothing but good things about it! 

6.) Do You Want To Build a Snowman? What do you think are the key ingredients for a life like character?
Something I need to feel about a character when reading about them is their humanity. They have to feel grounded, 3D, fleshed out, they need to feel as if they are a real person, not just someone made up for the purposes of a story. I like when things are hinted at outside of the story, things that happened before the start of the story, or something that is bubbling under the surface that could lead to something after the end of the story.

7.) Tree, Tinsel, Fairy Lights: most decorative book cover of 2014?
A book cover I absolutely adore is the cover for Messenger of Fear by Michael Grant. It's all red and white which are Christmassy (what with Father Christmas wearing red and white being the colour of snow...) although from reading the synopsis I doubt it is anything Christmassy at all!

8.) Christmas Kisses: which book crush from this year would you most like to kiss underneath the mistletoe?

Oh god, there are so many! So, so many! Tobias/Four from the Divergent series. Dorien from Throne of Glass. Ash from the Black City trilogy. I could go on and on.

9.) Snow Ball Fight: a book that you thought would be a lot of fun but left you feeling cold.

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart is easily the biggest reading disappointment for me this year. There was a massive campaign around it to launch it and everyone kept saying how amazing it was and I could not wait to find out for myself. But as soon as I started reading it was pretty clear that I just wasn't going to feel the connection to it in the same way that everyone else did. That said I did like the writing and it is a great idea, I just didn't really get the hype.

10.) Christmas Traditions: a book that you read over and over again.

This one is so easy for me! So easy! Hogfather by Terry Pratchett! No word of a lie, I read it every year and have done since I first read it back in 2006 or 2007. I can't remember which, it was whatever year the adaptation was on Sky One way back when. It was the first Terry Pratchett book I ever read and I completely and utterly fell in love. The way he writes, the words, the characters, the story itself. It's so Christmassy and yet it couldn't be further from Christmas at the same time. The pure notion of Death himself, riding around in a sleigh as the jolly fat man, in this case the Hogfather, delivering presents for Hogswatch (the Discworld equivalent of Christmas) is so funny. The book itself is so full of insight and wit and Death is so sarcastic I cannot help but laugh and love it even more every time I read it! I can't wait to read it again this Christmas.

11.) The Night Before Christmas: a book that kept you up reading late into the night.
This actually happened to me last night! I had been reading a couple of pages a night due to having to be up early for work, so last night, knowing I wasn't working today, I decided to stay up until I had finished the book. That said book is The Boy in the Dress by David Walliams. I will be giving it a full review, but I will say that I love this book so much. It's entertaining and I know it is aimed at younger kids (the back of the book says 9+) but I found it to be a fun read! It has a great moralistic message that I feel is important. Acceptance. I am very much looking forward to seeing the adaptation that the BBC have done! It is on on Boxing Day. I enjoyed Mr. Stink in 2012 and last years Gangsta Granny so no doubt this is going to be just as good!

12.) Rudolph: which book shone the brightest for you this year? 

A book that really stood out to me this year, and is one I am supposed to be getting around to writing a review for soon, is This Book Is Gay by James Dawson. It isn't exactly a YA book, it isn't fiction. But it is so funny and beautiful and honest and just so so good and I love it and James for writing it!

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 [Review]

Hi guys! So it has been a little while since I've actually posted a review or anything like that apart from the Doctor Who feature a few weeks ago which was a lot of fun! I've been busy with work and also combatting some pretty nasty pain that I am hopefully now, with the help of my doctor, in the process of conquering! I have also, as I mentioned in my previous post, been trying to get out myself out of a colossal reading slump that I didn't think would ever end, but thankfully it has! So I am back and hoping to post a lot more regularly!

A week or so ago now, on the actual release day, I went to see Mockingjay Part 1 and boy oh boy was it amazing. So amazing in fact that I decided to write a review. I never really review films, but I am thinking of reviewing adaptations every now and again. Comparing them to the books, what I thought and whether I liked it or not. There are a lot coming up soon (Roald Dahl's Esio Trot has been made into a tv movie and will be on over Christmas, the same for David Walliams' The Boy in the Dress) so it is just something I wanted to try...

Anyway, yes... MOCKINGJAY!! Please be warned that there may be spoilers ahead. If you haven't read the books or seen the movie then read at your own peril! You have been warned!!

Oh man! I knew this movie would play with me. I knew that it would leave me a complete and utter mess, just like the book itself did. I personally feel like the book is HUGELY underrated. Yes, it wasn't as action-packed as the first two, but something that does annoy me is that people seemed to be expecting another games. I don't think some people, especially people who haven't read the books, realise that after what happened at the end of Catching Fire there was no going back and things were going to be completely and utterly different. Katniss was now at war. Both with herself and her choices, and alongside the rebels against President Snow. The book, for me anyway, is an emotionally charged story of war that highlights the consequences you can face both with your decision making and your actions. Having re-read the book prior to going to see the movie this was only re-iterated to me and I really noticed it this time around more so than ever before I think.

The first half of the book was more about the build up to what it so come in the second half, so naturally Part 1 was always going to be more story driven, more narrative driven, more emotionally driven, as things were being laid out in plain sight ready for the final showdown to come in Part 2. Personally I do not think Part 1 was lacking in the action department. I mean the scenes in District 8 literally had me on the edge of the seat and I bit down all my nails right to the quick. I was rapt and could not even for a millisecond drag my eyes from the screen. Then there was the blowing up of the hydro dam in District 5. STUNNING scenes! Stunning, beautifully executed and well placed as well.

I feel like the pacing of the film was done really well. The action sequences were nicely placed so that just when it might of started to feel slow, BAMN, action, BAMN, explosions and death and loss of electricity. BAMN BAMN BAMN!

And the MUSIC!!!! Can we talk about the score for this film! Lorde (pun intended) have mercy! James Newton Howard has done another stellar job with the score. They just keep getting better and better! I like that he keeps the same sounds but builds on them. Makes them more and more menacing, more and more haunting, every film and this time it is simply stunning. I have purchased all of the movie scores for the series so far and as soon as this one popped up on iTunes I just had to have it! Not least of all because of The Hanging Tree... Oh god! The Hanging Tree! What were once just words on the page, read like any normal sentence, not with a melody in mind or anything like that, have been transformed into what is now a stunning and haunting and infections song that makes you want to weep buckets and yet listen to it over and over again on repeat... Something that I haven't been doing... I swear... Okay... Just A LOT! It's been on repeat on my iPod so much the last week it is insane! But it is so good! JLaw says she cannot sing - well JLaw lies!

And it isn't just The Hanging Tree music that is incredible. It's the whole thing. I love the music that played along with the air raid scenes in District 13. The music when Katniss goes back to District 12 on her own and the bit where she finds the bodies... It's just so, so perfect and I cannot wait to see how they build upon it for Part 2!

The scene with The Hanging Tree has to be my favourite part I think, or at least one of them. It was so well done, so well filmed and the mockingjay just perched on the rock was such a nice touch. I love how it kept going and transformed from just Katniss, to Katniss and the people in the districts. It was so powerful, so beautiful, I may of had a tear or two.

And the ending. Oh wow! The ending. Controversial opinion alert... I with they had finished it the first time the screen blacked out. I think it would of worked better as a cliff hanger and would of had people in uproar demanding to see or read what happens next. I just think it would of been ten times more epic. But at the same time I do like they way it actually did end. Coins speech does feel like a definitive closing point and did make sense.

And the acting! Oh my the acting has ramped up a bit hasn't it? JLaw as per the usual was incredible but in this one... Man! If she doesn't get an Oscar for this one I will be furious. This is without a doubt her most Oscar-worthy performance yet. She shows just how damaged Katniss is, both by the games and by the weight that is being placed on her shoulders as she becomes the Mockingjay. I thought that Josh was immense in this one and even though he doesn't have that much screen time, his performance is so memorable and moving and dark and just so good. I loved Effie even more in this movie despite my reservations that she was being put in the film when she wasn't in the book. I like that she replaced Fulvia who I wasn't that much of a fan of in the book, and did it really well. The "they're either going to want to kiss you, kill you or be you line" had me shivering! So good!

The sight of Johanna and Peeta as well at the end, seeing what the Capitol had reduced them to was almost too much! It made me feel so sad and sorry for them! And the strangling scene! OMG IT WAS EVERYTHING I EVER DREAMED OF! It was incredible and had me squirming in my seat! Literally, hearing the whole cinema scream in shock especially when the screen blacked out was INCREDIBLE! So good, so well done!

I have to say that Francis Lawrence is doing an INCREDIBLE job! I love that he is so adamant that the films need to stay as close to the books as possible. It's so reassuring as a fan to have him at the helm and I can only say that I am so glad that Lionsgate chose him to close out the series! He just has this knack of getting it and the last 2 have been so beautifully filmed and pieced together. It's very reassuring!

So overall I think it's safe to say I enjoyed Mockingjay Part 1! Ha! Who am I kidding, I freaking loved it! I think that it's the best of the films so far and reject that the lack of action makes it boring. Boring it most definitely is not. All the action has been saved for the finale to offer up a slice that is going to literally slay us all! Mark my words. Part 2 is going to wreck us even more than Part 1! I'm not going to lie I was close to tears watching the movie and knowing what is to come only makes me nervous for next November. But as well as being nervous I simply cannot wait! Bring it in Lionsgate! Bring it on!

Rating: 5/5.

Doctor Who: 12 Doctors 12 Stories Blog Tour - NOTHING O'CLOCK

It has been a MASSIVE 12 months for fans of all things Doctor Who, what with the 50th Anniversary special last year and Peter Capaldi's inaugural season as the titular character himself, and now it's getting even bigger! With the release of a new collection of short stories, which were published last year individually as ebooks leading up the the anniversary and in a bind up, but now with a new and exclusive story written by Holly Black to celebrate the twelfth (official) Doctor.

To celebrate the release of the 12 Doctors, 12 Stories box set, Puffin arranged this blog tour which has taken us right the way from the first Doctor and will take us through to the final stop on the tour tomorrow.

I am honoured to have been asked to be a part of this, as a fan of Doctor Who (although I still have to watch half of the most recent series - so little time!!) and the fact that it is a story based on my favourite Doctor, Matt Smith's incarnation, makes it all the more exciting!

First off a little quick fire round of questions the bloggers are being asked to answer...

1) Do you have a favourite Doctor?

Yes, I do! I think I just answered that a second ago. It was a real coincidence that I was asked to review the story based on Matt Smith's incarnation of the Doctor and I could not of been happier with that suggestion! I just loved how funny he was and mental he seemed, even more so than previous incarnations. 

2) Describe the Doctor in one word.

Mind-boggling.

3) If you had a TARDIS where would you go?

Speaking from a purely personal point of view I would go back to life as a teenager. Life was so much simpler back then. Oh how hindsight is a wonderful thing. Plus my grandparents were still alive and I miss them like mad so it would be nice to be able to go back and see them, if only for a little while.

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Nothing O'Clock by Neil Gaiman.

"Thousands of years ago, Time Lords built a Prison for the Kin. They made it utterly impregnable and unreachable. As long as Time Lords existed, the Kin would be trapped forever and the universe would be safe. They had planned for everything . . . everything, that is, other than the Time War and the fall of Gallifrey. Now the Kin are free again and there’s only one Time Lord left in the universe who can stop them!"

I have a bit of a funny relationship with Neil Gaiman. I cannot decide if I am madly in love with him and his work or if I don't like it at all. I sway from mindset to mindset every time I read a piece of his work. But luckily I loved Nothing O'Clock from start to finish! 

I have already said Matt Smith is my favourite Doctor, and the only problem I had was Amy Pond. I am not a massive fan of her as a companion.

The baddies in this little short story are the Kin and to start with they sounded like your plain old baddie, omnipresent and dare I say it, generic, but as the story develops and you get to see more of them they actually scare you. I was actually scared. They sound disgusting and what they are doing is insane! They are literally buying the world, piece by piece.

I have to say that I think this would of made an amazing episode and given that Gaiman has written for the show previously I cannot believe this idea has not been pitched. It is so clever and so well thought out that even in such a short space of time (50 pages or so) it feels like you know all you need to know and nothing has been missed out!

A must read and a short story that has now made me want to read them all! 

The new slip case edition is out now, and it feautures new and exclusive artwork. The above image is the cover for Nothing O'Clock and isn't it amazing? Each one is the Doctor's outfit! So cool! I'm looking forward to getting my hands on this set at some point!

Zom-B Family by Darren Shan [Review]

NOTE: ZOM-B FAMILY IS THE NINTH BOOK IN THE ZOM-B SERIES BY DARREN SHAN. IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING THAT THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS. IF YOU DO NOT WANT THIS SERIES SPOILING, OR IF YOU HAVE YET TO REACH BOOK NINE, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE STOP READING NOW... I DO NOT WANT TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR SPOILING THE STORY FOR YOU, ESPECIALLY ONCE YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! THANK YOU.

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Written by: Darren Shan.

Published by: Simon and Schuster.

Format: Hardback.

Published: 27th September 2014.

Rating: 5/5.

Official synopsis: "The ninth terrifying installment from master of horror, Darren Shan. CAN ANYONE HURT YOU AS MUCH AS A LOVED ONE? WHEN DOES THE FIGHT BECOME TOO MUCH TO BEAR? HOW MUCH PAIN CAN ONE PERSON ENDURE? B Smith is discovering the true meaning of family ..."

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I literally do not know where to begin with this one. I truly don't. I even tweeted as much and Darren even quoted that on his Facebook page! I'm not even kidding. I am stumped. I don't really know how to tackle this one! It goes without saying that I cannot simply review this book without talking about things that have happened previously in the series. As it states at the beginning of this post, Zom-B Family is the ninth book in the twelve book saga, so we are now three quarters of the way through and so much has happened that it'll be hard to even begin to express my thoughts...

The book opens with the fallout of the treacherous act at the end of Clans, book eight. Rage has betrayed B and the Angels and has joined Dan Dan and his cronies. But even they are wary of him. He is a zombie after all, one scratch is all it would take to bring down the entire complex that has made itself at home in what used to be Battersea Power Station. B is screwed and she knows it. She is briefly reunited with her father, but even the end of the world cannot change his ways and he is as deep as he can get with the Ku Klux clan who see the zombie apocalypse as a way to clense the world racially and bring about their new world of purity, as they see it. B is disgusted and choses not to side with them, and rightfully so, but this puts her at the mercy of Dan Dan and he finally gets his hands on her, after taunting and threatening to destroy her over the past few books.

Now if you've read a Darren Shan book before, you know it gets a little gory every now and again... Well Family has gone above and beyond the level of gore previously seen in any of Shan's work. It's gory and in sections downright sickening. I could actually feel a lump in my throat as my gorge rose reading some of the scenes. I don't want to go into too much detail for fear of reawaking that feeling I had whilst reading, but Dan Dan finally gets to torture B  as he has been planning. But with B being a zombie, she does't feel pain or suffer like a human. To get a reaction, Dan Dan has to do things that a living, breathing human would never be able to withstand even for a short time. It is horrific and described in such detail that I had images burnt into my brain and I just could not get them to go away for a while. Even now nearly a week after finishing the book I am still struggling... I don't have to re-read the passages. I can remember...

But it isn't long before trouble really begins and B is forced to fight, her body riddled with holes, her guts held in only by some bandages and her ears cut off, to save her friend Vinyl. I really liked how this shows that those in power aren't changing at all. They have no regard for the lives of anyone but themselves. 

I also loved seeing Dan Dan finally, FINALLY, getting his comeuppance. I think he's one of the most disgusting, revolting and yet enticing characters Shan has ever made but seeing him go wasn't a sad moment at all. I like it when the bad guys bite the dust and whilst I felt the way Dan Dan demised was a little rushed and unexpected (I REALLY WANTED IT TO BE B!!!) it felt right and satisfying!

And then the clown returns. Mr. Dowling. Although he is perhaps the scariest character I think Shan has ever created, after he first turned up in Underground and City I actually had nightmares, I have really missed him over the last few book. He's always been sort of an omnipresence in the series. Mentioned here and there, spoken about at length by Dr Oystein but only appearing rarely, so getting to see him again was great. I feel he's going to be a lot more prominent from this point on until the end of the series. 

This book is honestly the darkest I think I've ever seen Shan and you know what? I loved it. It is a great addition to the series and the ending sets up the next book, Zom-B Bride, very well. I cannot wait to see what is going to happen next. I want to see where those babies are taking B and I really want to know what the connection is between them. It's creepy and it's something that has been hinted at all the way through the series, and with just three books left, I sense that things are about to start wrapping up and we are finally going to start getting some answers. I hope so! I cannot wait!