Department 19: Darkest Night cover revealed

If you have been around the past few years there you will have definitely heard me and several other bloggers babble on about how amazing Will Hill and his Department 19 series is. Well, 2015 sees this  epic saga come to a conclusion with the publication of the fifth and final book, Darkest Night. 

I for one am incredibly excited but also excuciatingly scared. I have even put off reading book 4, Zero Hour because I don't want the series to end and I want to make the wait between the two books as short as possible as I have heard that the ending of Zero Hour leaves readers gasping for more and knowing Will and his cliffhangers I am not sure I could cope with it all.

That said I am so excited to see how everything wraps up. It has been building up so well and Will is a masterful storyteller! 

Well, now, the cover for the final book has been unveiled and it is an absolute stunner.

ARGHHHHH!!!!! The colours! The bones!!!! Everything!!!! Oh god!!!! It's incredible and I love it. It matches so well with the rest of the series! It's out in June I believe and I can't wait to see what happens!!!

Department 19 Book Four update...

So, as you may have seen I've been a bit quiet lately so there are some things to catch up on. And one is the title announcement and cover for the fourth book in Will Hill's incredible Department 19 series. I'll be honest, I was a bit scared when new covers started popping up for the series and was so pleased when Will said that the hardbacks will stay in the same style through to the fifth and final book in the series. Phew! Thank goodness for that... so... the title for the latest instalment is... Zero Hour. I had kind of expected this for Book Five as it's what we've been counting down to the last few books. The moment when the good vs evil battle will truly commence. So this has me even more excited for what we might see in the final instalment... Anyway, back to Zero Hour...

Thankfully, as I have already said, the cover remains in the style of the previous covers which are stunning in their own right... So here it is...

I mean... Look at it... I just need a moment...

It's so cool! I love it and just know that like the previous books, it'll look even better in the physical form. It's out in March 2014 and I can't wait! Knowing Will, it's sure to be another knock out instalment!

And for good measure... the synopsis!!

Department 19 still stands against the darkness. But for how much longer? Book 4 in the explosive series from bestselling author, Will Hill. 

As Dracula continues his rise, the men and women of Department 19 wait for good news. But hope is in short supply – the country is beginning to fall apart as the public comes to terms with the horror in their midst; a cure for vampirism remains years, even decades away; and their supposed ally Valentin Rusmanov has not been heard from in weeks. 

Jamie Carpenter and his friends are working hard to keep the forces of evil at bay, but it is beginning to feel like a lost cause…Until familiar faces from the past bring news that could turn the tide. News that takes Matt Browning to America on a desperate search for a miracle, and sends Jamie and Larissa Kinley into the darkest corners of eastern Europe, where something old and impossibly powerful waits for them. 

Something that could stop Dracula for good. 

But the clock is ticking. 

Night is falling. And Zero Hour is almost here…

Department 19: Battle Lines by Will Hill [Review]

Written by: Will Hill.
Published by: HarperCollins.
Format: Hardback.
Released: 28th March 2013.
Rating: (Of course...) 5/5.

Official synopsis: "Secret government unit Department 19 is recovering from evil vampire Valeri Rusmanov's deadly attack on their base. The Department’s newest member, teenage operator Jamie Carpenter, is tasked with training up a new squad, as his friends and colleagues desperately search for ways to try to stop what is coming. The timing couldn't be worse for a coordinated, global attack on a number of maximum security prisons and hospitals—with the already-dangerous inmates now on the loose and turned into vampires. One of the escapees has a deep connection to one of the darkest moments in the history of Department 19 and embarks on a quest that threatens to expose the existence of vampires to the public. And with each day that passes, the regenerated Dracula gets stronger, bringing Zero Hour closer. In this third instalment of the epic Department 19 series, Will Hill delivers higher—and sharper—stakes than ever before."

Do you ever read a book and wonder just how, exactly, the author is going to top it with the next instalment? I did when I read The Rising, the second book in Will Hill's Department 19 series. I'd loved the first book, but the second book blew me away even more - it was my favourite book that I read last year! He can't top this, I thought... It's just too damn epic... Well guess what folks? He did. Will Hill topped it and done so in spectacular style.

Jamie and friends at the Loop are still recovering from the attack on their base in the concluding scenes of the previous book. With Department leader, General Henry Seward, gone, taken by Valeri during the attack, and with many killed during those bloody few hours, the department is struggling to get back on its feet. They're managing - recruiting and training every day.

But things are about to get worse. All over the world, high security prisons are being targeted by the legions of vampires that sense Dracula's return, that sense that Zero Hour is not far off, and an army is amassing. Prisoners soon turn up with a horrifying thirst for blood - but they seem different, stronger, more powerful, more dangerous.

It's down to the department to stop them as well as track down Dracula before it's too late - the clock is ticking.

And meanwhile, Larissa is in America, at the legendary Area 51 which turns out to be the US's version of the Department back in the UK!

Holy cow I cannot express just what Will Hill and his books do to me. It's like they're all that matter in the world for however long it takes you to read it's behemoth 700 or so pages. You might think that reading a book that long would be a chore some times but with Will, that is not the case - the book is so full of action, gore, blood and teen angst that the pages just fly by at breakneck speed, and when you reach the end you feel a hollow sensation in the pit of your stomach. A sadness even that you've come to the end and now a horrifying and torturous twelve month wait begins for the next instalment.

I'm not really going to say much more - if I do I'll spoil the book and I know how angry I'd be if it was spoiled for me. Just know that Will Hill is once again on top form and showing just why he deserves every success that comes his way. His writing, as ever is clear, fluid and engaging and drives you perfectly through the twists and turns of the story contained within.

Battle Lines just proves to me even more why this series is fast becoming one of my favourite. It's so well executed. The story itself, the monsters - they don't feel clichéd at all, they're exactly what they should be, blood thirsty, bone crunching, human eating monsters. The characters are all believable and well rounded, and they contrast together brilliantly. It is well on it's way to being my top read of 2013, like it's predecessor was for 2012!

I don't think anything I can say can truly explain or show just how much I love these books. I just wish I could hibernate from right now till next March when Book 4 comes out. God it's so far away. ARGH!!!

My thanks to HarperCollins for my review copy!

The Department 19 Files have been opened...

Okay, so first off, apologies. I thought I'd posted about this before. I definitely meant to. Gah.

Anyway, if you've followed the blog a while or if you follow me on Twitter (@empireofbooks) then you will know that I am a big fan of Will Hill - I'd even go so far as to say I love him. His books are incredible. His monsters are... well... they're exactly that... Monsters! His twitter is brilliant and definitely worth a follow - he tweets interesting things and is also pretty funny. You can find him @WillHillauthor. So, being such a big fan of Will I'd want to own everything he does, right? Right! 

As is becoming common place today, extras are being made available by authors and publishers, normally in eBook only form. A little pick me up in between books, something just to remind you of the world you're in whilst reading a certain series, a look at some point from the story from another characters point of view, and so on. And thankfully Will now has his own little eBook exclusives. The Department 19 Files.

Now these do not feature Jamie, Larissa, or Dracula for that matter. No, these are the tales of people out on the front lines - the ones you don't know about, the hidden members of Department 19 that are keeping you alive, every single day.

Two have so far been released... The Devil in No Man's Land: 1917, and Undead In The Eternal City: 1918. Both have been awesome - love them. They're only little. They're quick reads and designed to be so. I'd say about half an hours worth, more or less depending on your reading speed, but for me about half an hour, three quarters with interruptions (don't get me started... family, pft!). And later on this week, the third and final instalment of the little mini-series The New Blood: 1919 will be unleashed and I for one am chomping at the bit to get a hold on it! In fact, writing this I've just realised that it's out tomorrow! Buzz, or what?! 

So yes, the point of this post is to tell you to go and check them out ASAP. If you haven't read Department 19 yet, if you're new or just not gotten around to it yet, you won't have anything spoiled for you at all. These books pre-date the main series and there's nothing here that would ruin the plot of either the first two books (I can't comment on Battle Lines yet as I haven't read it yet...) so read away and enjoy!

2013: Books of Interest (Part 2)

I did, rather shamefully, miss a title I can't wait for from February but the post got so long... Anyway... Fragments by Dan Wells is the sequel to this years amazing Partials. A book I adored and I cannot wait to see just what happens next...

"Kira Walker has found the cure for RM, but the battle for the survival of humans and Partials is only just beginning. Kira has left East Meadow in a desperate search for clues as to who she is. That the Partials themselves hold the cure for RM in their blood cannot be a coincidence-it must be part of a larger plan, a plan that Kira knows she is a part of, a plan that could save both races. Her allies are Afa Demoux, an unhinged drifter and former employee of ParaGen, and Samm and Heron, the Partials who betrayed her and saved her life, the only ones who know her secret. But can she trust them?

Meanwhile, back on Long Island, what's left of humanity is gearing up for war with the Partials, and Marcus knows his only hope is to delay them until Kira returns. But Kira's journey will take her deep into the overgrown wasteland of postapocalyptic America, and they will both discover that their greatest enemy may be one they didn't even know existed.

The middle installment in the pulse-pounding Partials saga is the story of the eleventh hour of humanity's time on earth, a journey deep into places unknown to discover the means-and even more important, a reason-for our survival."

MARCH sees the release of a book that I am so excited about, I just might wee a little the moment my copy drops in my letter box!

Department 19: Battle Lines is the third book in Will Hill's phenomenal Department 19 series. I fell in love with book one, and last years sequel, The Rising, only cemented my love for Will and his freaking awesome work! There are two (only two... welp) books to come after Battle Lines so I intend to savour every blood-dripping, scream ripping and nightmare inducing second of it!

"Dracula is on the verge of coming into his full power. Department 19 is on the back foot. Ladies and gentlemen: welcome to war. The stakes? Mankind’s very survival… As the clock ticks remorselessly towards Zero Hour and the return of Dracula, the devastated remnants of Department 19 try to hold back the rising darkness. Jamie Carpenter is training new recruits, trying to prepare them for a fight that appears increasingly futile. Kate Randall is pouring her grief into trying to plug the Department's final leaks, as Matt Browning races against time to find a cure for vampirism. And on the other side of the world, Larissa Kinley has found a place she feels at home, yet where she makes a startling discovery. Uneasy truces are struck, new dangers emerge on all sides, and relationships are pushed to breaking point. And in the midst of it all, Department 19 faces a new and potentially deadly threat, born out of one of the darkest moments of its own long and bloody history. Zero Hour is coming. And the Battle Lines have been drawn."

It also sees the release of The Life Beyond by Susanne Winnacker. The sequel to the fantastic The Other Life, I cannot wait to see what happens next!

"15, 323 hours since Sherry listened to one of her father's bedtime stories. 30, 657 minutes since she heard his laughter. Sherry's father's life is hanging in the balance... And if he turns into a Weeper, Sherry and Joshua know that the only way to save him lies on the other side of the fence - the barrier cutting them off from the rest of the world. With Tyler and Rachel, they set off into the unknown, driven by the promise of a cure, and the hope of reclaiming the life they once knew. But they find that there are more than just Weepers standing in their way... There is no going back. There is only beyond."

Another release that I cannot wait for is the new book from Mr. Tom Clempson! His first book, One Seriously Messed-Up Week in the Otherwise Uneventful and Mundane Life of Jack Samsonite was one of my favourite books from 2011 and the wait for this second instalment, the equally long-titled One Seriously Messed-Up Weekend in the Otherwise Un-Messed-Up Life of Jack Samsonite, has been a murderous one. Devilishly funny and rude, appealing to the giggling little boy in all of us (or girl...) and perfect for fans of The Inbetweeners, I cannot wait to read it and giggle along at every page just like I did with the first book!

"Jack Samsonite's Foolish Plan for Being Amazing at Everything (including getting a life, getting into Film School, and getting into a girl's knickers).

1.Make an amazing(ly bad) short film about zombies . . . or maybe superheroes . . . or just three idiot friends. It has to be deep and meaningful and (most importantly) has to have a scene where I kiss a girl on the mouth.

2.Write the world's best university application ever! (Or at least one that doesn't make me seem like a nob).

3.Don't get expelled trying to complete 1 & 2.

It can't possibly fail . . . right?"

APRIL sees the release of a book that I am very excited about. It's called Taken and it's written by Erin Bowman, and at the moment there's no UK publisher that I'm aware of for the book, but I managed to snag a copy for my Kindle thanks to the awesome website Edelweiss! It sounds fantastic, it's keeping with the current influx of dystopia fiction, but this one sounds a little different. I aim to read it soon, so a review for this one is a dead cert...

"There are no men in Claysoot. There are boys—but every one of them vanishes at midnight on his eighteenth birthday. The ground shakes, the wind howls, a blinding light descends…and he’s gone. They call it the Heist. Gray Weathersby’s eighteenth birthday is mere months away, and he’s prepared to meet his fate–until he finds a strange note from his mother and starts to question everything he’s been raised to accept: the Council leaders and their obvious secrets. The Heist itself. And what lies beyond the Wall that surrounds Claysoot–a structure that no one can cross and survive. Climbing the Wall is suicide, but what comes after the Heist could be worse. Should he sit back and wait to be taken–or risk everything on the hope of the other side?"

April also brings on another US import! The Program by Suzanne Young!

"In Sloane’s world, true feelings are forbidden, teen suicide is an epidemic, and the only solution is The Program. Sloane knows better than to cry in front of anyone. With suicide now an international epidemic, one outburst could land her in The Program, the only proven course of treatment. Sloane’s parents have already lost one child; Sloane knows they’ll do anything to keep her alive. She also knows that everyone who’s been through The Program returns as a blank slate. Because their depression is gone—but so are their memories. Under constant surveillance at home and at school, Sloane puts on a brave face and keeps her feelings buried as deep as she can. The only person Sloane can be herself with is James. He’s promised to keep them both safe and out of treatment, and Sloane knows their love is strong enough to withstand anything. But despite the promises they made to each other, it’s getting harder to hide the truth. They are both growing weaker. Depression is setting in. And The Program is coming for them."

Spooky Reads - Recommendations this Halloween!

October, and in fact autumn and winter in general, is the perfect time of year to snuggle up and read a good book. And there are plenty out there. But at this time of year in particular, around Halloween, a good spooky, often scary, read is just what the doctor ordered. Something to get your adrenaline going, get you scared, make you jump, or even squeal.

Today I'm going to be highlighting some books that I think you should all add to your Halloween/Spooktastic reading lists! First off, I haven't read all of these books. One is next on my to read pile and I shall be making a start this weekend... so here we go...

(Please note, for your ease, I have linked the titles to Amazon. Just click, and away you go!)

Zom-B by Darren Shan.

One that I haven't read yet but cannot wait to start. I've heard nothing but praise for this and with zombies, it's perfect for Halloween. Apparently, it's gory as hell, but what else do you expect from Mr. Shan? The cover says it all. The master of horror! The first in a twelve book saga, it sounds like one to miss at your own peril!

Official synopsis: "Zom-B is a radical new series about a zombie apocalypse, told in the first person by one of its victims. The series combines classic Shan action with a fiendishly twisting plot and hard-hitting and thought-provoking moral questions dealing with racism, abuse of power and more. This is challenging material, which will captivate existing Shan fans and bring in many new ones. As Darren says, "It's a big, sprawling, vicious tale...a grisly piece of escapism, and a barbed look at the world in which we live. Each book in the series is short, fast-paced and bloody. A high body-count is guaranteed!"

 Oblivion by Anthony Horowitz.

The finale in the epic The Power of Five series, this book is equal parts horror and awesome. From start to finish it is a rollercoaster as you see the complete and utter destruction upon the world, wrecked by the Old Ones. A stunning conclusion, my full review is coming next week, but make sure you check out the book itself, weighing in a hefty, and justifiable, 672 pages. And of course the first four books in the series, Raven's Gate, Evil Star, Nightrise and Necropolis!

Official synopsis: "Having escaped from Hong Kong, the Five Gatekeepers - Matt, Pedro, Scott, Jamie and Scarlett - are scattered in a hostile and dangerous world. As they struggle to re-group and plan their next move, the malevolent King of the Old Ones gathers his forces in Oblivion: a desolate landscape where the last survivors of humanity must fight the ultimate battle."

 The Other Life by Susanne Winnacker.

It's dark, creepy, and there are the Weepers - I can't even desribe the fear that they struck in me when I read the book late last year. And with the release of the second book, The Life Beyond just beyond the horizon, March 2013, there's no better time than now to pick up the first instalment!

Official synopsis: "The Other Life: who we were before the virus. How we'll never be again. It's been 3 years, 1 month, 1 week and 6 days since Sherry has seen daylight. When things went wrong up above, she was sealed off from the world in a bunker with her family. But when they run out of food, Sherry and her dad must venture outside. There they find devastation, desolation...and the Weepers: savage mutant killers. When her dad is snatched, Sherry joins forces with gorgeous but troubled Joshua - an Avenger, determined to destroy the Weepers. But can Sherry keep her family and Joshua safe, when his desire for vengeance threatens them all? The seeds of first love are sown amongst the death and destruction of a nightmare future in this incredible debut novel. Beautifully formed and gut-wrenchingly gripping, it's essential reading."

 Department 19: The Rising by Will Hill.

The second book in what is already shaping up to be a fantastic series, it is a big book, coming in at just over 700 pages, but boy is it worth it. It packs a massive punch, and there are buckets of blood, guts and gore to keep you entertained the whole way through. Again, the timing is perfect for you to pick up both the first book, simply Department 19, and The Rising, because the third book, Battle Lines, is due in March, so get on it! What are you waiting for?

Official synopsis: "The pulse-pounding sequel to DEPARTMENT 19 – “The best action horror story I have ever read” according to Bookzoneforboys… 91 DAYS TILL ZERO HOUR. THAT'S 91 DAYS TO RUN. 91 DAYS TO HIDE. OR 91 DAYS TO PRAY FOR DEPARTMENT 19 TO SAVE YOU… After the terrifying attack on Lindisfarne at the end of the first book, Jamie, Larissa and Kate are recovering at Department 19 headquarters, waiting for news of Dracula’s stolen ashes. They won’t be waiting for long. Vampire forces are gathering. Old enemies are getting too close. And Dracula… is rising."

Unrest by Michelle Harrison.

Hands down, this is perhaps the most un-nerving, terrifying books I have read this year, if not in a long time. The chills I got when reading this - it's insane! I can't even desribe it. Just... go. Get it. It's got ghosts. Enough said! Michelle, you're a genius! But you did stop me from sleeping. Thanks, thanks a bunch!

Official synopsis: "Seventeen-year-old Elliott hasn't slept properly for six months. Not since the accident that nearly killed him. Now he is afraid to go to sleep. Sometimes he wakes to find himself paralysed, unable to move a muscle, while shadowy figures move around him. Other times he is the one moving around, while his body lies asleep on the bed. According to his doctor, sleep paralysis and out of body experiences are harmless - but to Elliot they're terrifying. Convinced that his brush with death has opened up connections with the spirit world, Elliott secures a live-in job at one of England's most haunted locations, determined to find out the truth. There he finds Sebastian, the ghost of a long-dead servant boy hanged for stealing bread. He also meets the living, breathing Ophelia, a girl with secrets of her own. She and Elliott grow closer, but things take a terrifying turn when Elliott discovers Sebastian is occupying his body when he leaves it. And the more time Sebastian spends inhabiting a living body, the more resistant he becomes to giving it back. Worse, he seems to have an unhealthy interest in Ophelia. Unless Elliott can lay Sebastian's spirit to rest, he risks being possessed by him for ever, and losing the girl of his dreams..."

So, there you go. Whatever you decide to read this Halloween, even if it isn't scary at all, happy reading!

Department 19 book title and cover revealed!

ARGH! Finally! Will Hill, author of the fantastically bloody and action-packed Department 19 and Department 19: The Rising, has, just moments ago, released the title of the anticipated third book in the series along with it's cover art! It's been revealed as Department 19: Battle Lines and it looks like this!!!!!

I for one am freaking out over here. So freaking excited! How amazing does that look?! :D I love that it's in the same vein as the previous two but still looks so different! I adored the first two books so am dying to know what happens next as the clock ticks ever closer to Zero Hour. Here is the official synopsis, courtesy of HarperCollins listing for the book on their website:

Dracula is on the verge of coming into his full power. Department 19 is on the back foot. Ladies and gentlemen: welcome to war. The stakes? Mankind’s very survival… 

As the clock ticks remorselessly towards Zero Hour and the return of Dracula, the devastated remnants of Department 19 try to hold back the rising darkness.

Jamie Carpenter is training new recruits, trying to prepare them for a fight that appears increasingly futile. Kate Randall is pouring her grief into trying to plug the Department's final leaks, as Matt Browning races against time to find a cure for vampirism. And on the other side of the world, Larissa Kinley has found a place she feels at home, yet where she makes a startling discovery. 

Uneasy truces are struck, new dangers emerge on all sides, and relationships are pushed to breaking point. And in the midst of it all, Department 19 faces a new and potentially deadly threat, born out of one of the darkest moments of its own long and bloody history 

Zero Hour is coming. And the Battle Lines have been drawn.

Simply incredible! So excited! 

Department 19: Battle Lines is published on 28th March 2013!

News: Will Hill signs for 3 more books with HarperCollins!

I am a massive fan of Will Hill and his Department 19 series, so this press release sent to me today from the lovely Rosi at HarperCollins has me bouncing with excitement! So there'll be five books in the series and a stand alone YA from the man himself. Excellent! Check out the release for yourself...

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HarperCollins is delighted to be continuing its relationship with YA author Will Hill by acquiring three new titles. Fiction Editorial Director Nick Lake secured UK & Commonwealth rights to two final books in the Department 19 series, plus one untitled YA novel. The deal was concluded by Nick and Charlie Campbell at Ed Victor Ltd.

First launched by HarperCollins in 2011, Department 19 was the number one bestselling YA hardback debut of the year and the series has acquired more than 7,000 fans on Facebook (www.facebook.com/department19exists). The books have also enjoyed sales success as ebooks, with Department 19: The Rising becoming HarperCollins' bestselling children's ebook launch in April. Hill’s writing has also been acclaimed in the press. "High action, fast plot, original and gripping, this is vampire writing without the sparkle – but with lots of blood!" said the Sun, while the Telegraph pronounced that, “Bram Stoker can stop turning in his grave: his 21st-century legacy extends beyond Twilight.”

Nick Lake said: "Will Hill is an incredible talent and we’re tremendously excited to have these new books to look forward to. With The Rising, he achieved that rare feat - a sequel that is richer and more gripping than its predecessor - and the strength of his writing is certain to garner him many, many more fans over the coming years."

Will himself said: "I'm absolutely delighted to have signed with HarperCollins for three more novels - the experience of publishing the Department 19 books with them has been an absolute pleasure. I'm looking forward to continuing to work with my amazing editor Nick and the fantastic sales, marketing and publicity teams, and I'm so thrilled that the Department 19 series will finish where it started; on the best list in the business."

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Follow Will on Twitter @WillHillAuthor

Department 19: The Rising by Will Hill [Review]

Written by: Will Hill.
Published by: HarperCollins UK.
Format: Hardback.
Released: 29th March 2012.
Rating: 5/5.

Official synopsis: "91 DAYS TILL ZERO HOUR. THAT'S 91 DAYS TO RUN. 91 DAYS TO HIDE. OR 91 DAYS TO PRAY FOR DEPARTMENT 19 TO SAVE YOU… After the terrifying attack on Lindisfarne at the end of the first book, Jamie, Larissa and Kate are recovering at Department 19 headquarters, waiting for news of Dracula’s stolen ashes. They won’t be waiting for long. Vampire forces are gathering. Old enemies are getting too close. And Dracula… is rising."

-

A really good author, who writes a series of books, can draw you back into that world within a page. For Will Hill, and The Rising, the second book in the stunning Department 19 series, I was back into the world of shadows, vampires and secret, government organisations with a sentence.

Back into the world where not all is as it seems, and where nightmares become reality.

I want to say fairly early in this review that I physically cannot say much about the book at all. Not because I don't want to, because I freaking do!  Oh I could talk about this book all day and all night, non stop. Trust me, ask my parents who I think I am driving nuts right now... Not because nothing happens - trust me, this book is jam-packed with action, it's unreal! But because if I say pretty much anything, it'll spoil the book! It's so tightly woven and so well paced, that everything fits together It's kind of like a line of domino's. Knock one and they all go.

What I can say though, is that Will's writing is on top form. Top class. It's fantastic. So engaging. I want to liken Will's writing to super glue, because once you start reading, you physically have to tear your eyes away from the page and the events unfolding within them.


There's just this voice to the book, to both books actually that is so vivid and so rich, you can't help but love them.

I'll be honest, I had worried about reading The Rising. I loved Department 19 so much, that I just didn't know how Will could top it, but as I sat down to read it, those worries melted away. For a starter, the first chapter is set about thirty minutes to three-quarters of an hour away from me, and somewhere that I have been many many times over the years! I read the start and kind of did a double take... Erm... Really... That's... near me, in this incredible book. It's set there? Wow! 


But yes, it blew me away. The gore in this book - well don't even get me started - is on a completely new and, well... gory level. Will outdone himself this time, although I have to wonder what runs through his mind sometimes - can I say, twisted dude?! But in a good way! Haha.


So, to wrap this up because it's all just getting a bit gushy now, Will Hill is a genius. He's created something incredible in Department 19, something that is so well thought out and intricate. And he's continued it perfectly in The Rising. All I can say is that the next 12 months waiting for Book Three is going to be pure torture!


My thanks to HarperCollins for sending me the proof, and to Will for signing it! And for being so awesome! You didn't have to wait nearly a year for the review this time, buddy! Haha!

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Department 19: The Rising is available to buy now from all good bookshops and also from:

Amazon UK

Amazon UK Kindle

Book Depository

Waterstones

WHSmith

2012: Books of Interest (Part 1)

So with just over 2 weeks left of the year, the time has come to look forward to what 2012 has in store for us! One thing that spings to mind instantly is The Hunger Games movie which I for one am DYING to see! I'm also looking forward to all the little companion things, including the official guide written by Suzanne Collins herself! But anyway, this is about books... So, here are some books that have me salivating at the mouth, all due to be published throughout 2012!

Kickstarting the year, there are a few titles I'm looking forward to in JANUARY! First up, The Fault In Out Stars by John Green. Much to the dismay of some of my fellow bloggers, I have never read any of John's previous work (I shall prepare for some abuse, most likely from Iffath... I'm watching you!) but this sounds so good and I love the cover. Have a copy on pre-order thanks to The Book Depo and it sounds a little like this...

Official synopsis: "Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 12, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now. Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means) Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault. Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly, to her interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind."

Having lost family members (Total count so far of 4) to cancer, this sounds like it's going to be a heart-wrencher!

It also sees the publication of the second Casper Candlewacks adventure. It's called The Claw's of Crime and I can't wait. I loved the first book, Death by Pigeon (which I should be reviewing soon) and recently read it again. It's only a little book and it is aimed at younger readers (it says 9+ on the back... I'm only 10 years older... it's okay...) but it is so funny and such a good read! 

Official synopsis: "Most villages have an idiot but Casper's village is full of them. So being bright makes poor Casper something of an outsider. An infamous cat burglar has struck in the village of Corne-on-the-Kobb, stealing a precious jewelled sword and kidnapping Casper’s baby sister. To make matters worse a gaggle of amateur detectives are on the case, questioning the villagers and getting in the way. Armed only with his wits, an egg-boiling lie-detecting machine and his best friend Lamp, can Casper rescue his sister and save the day?"

FEBRUARY will see the release of Hollow Pike by James Dawson, courtesy of Orion Children's Books. I've raved about how much I want this book both here and on twitter, and as soon as I actually do get a copy, you will all know... You'll hear me shout with joy, I believe. If not, there'll be a twitpic with lots of !!!!!!!!!! marks... And such a beautiful cover. I hope it's shiny and has foil!!! (You hear me, Orion?!!)

Official synopis: "Lis London moves to Hollow Pike looking for a fresh start. She's intrigued by the town's sinister history of witchcraft, ritual and witchfinders. But when a fellow teen is murdered in the woods in what appears to be a ritual killing, Lis starts to wonder whether the witches are really history after all... Who is the mysterious figure caught on camera in the trees at the time of the murder? Could he be the killer? And do Lis's ominous nightmares of being murdered in the forest mean that she might be the next to die?"

Marvelous!

We also get this little beauty! Advent by James Treadwell. It looks beautiful, and it currently sitting on my "to read" pile. It sounds fantastic and I for one can't wait to get stuck in!

Official synopsis: "For centuries it has been locked away. Lost beneath the sea. Warded from earth, air, water, fire, spirits, thought and sight. But now magic is rising to the world once more. And a boy called Gavin, who thinks only that he is a city kid with parents who hate him, and knows only that he sees things no one else will believe, is boarding a train, alone, to Cornwall. No one will be there to meet him."

Creepy!

Then in MARCH, another very exciting release! The second Department 19 book, by Will Hill! Titled The Rising, the cover is quite literally on fire! HarperCollin's design department have taken what was already a very striking image from the first book, made a few changes and then set it ablaze and made it even more eye-catching! Reviewed the first book in this series earlier today, and this is perhaps one of my most anticipated releases for 2012.

Official synopsis: "The pulse-pounding sequel to DEPARTMENT 19 – “The best action horror story I have ever read” according to Bookzoneforboys… DEPARTMENT 6 IS THE ARMY. DEPARTMENT 13 IS MI5. DEPARTMENT 19 IS ALL THAT STANDS BETWEEN YOU AND THE END OF THE WORLD. After the terrifying attack on Lindisfarne at the end of the first book, Jamie, Larissa and Kate are recovering at Department 19 headquarters, waiting for news of Dracula’s stolen ashes. They won’t be waiting for long. Vampire forces are gathering. Old enemies are getting too close. And Dracula… is rising."

Eep! What is going to happen next?! 

In April, Simon and Schuster UK will publish Michelle Harrison's first offering since she finished her Thirteen series/trilogy. It's called Unrest, and it's out right at the end of the month. Not much is known... there's no cover art yet, but we do have a synopsis and it sounds deliciously ghosty!

Official synopsis: "Seventeen-year-old Elliott hasn't slept properly for six months. Not since the accident that nearly killed him. Now he is afraid to go to sleep. Sometimes he wakes to find himself paralysed, unable to move a muscle, while shadowy figures move around him. Other times he is the one moving around, while his body lies asleep on the bed. According to his doctor, sleep paralysis and out of body experiences are harmless - but to Elliot they're terrifying. Convinced that his brush with death has opened up connections with the spirit world, Elliott secures a live-in job at one of England's most haunted locations, determined to find out the truth. There he finds Sebastian, the ghost of a long-dead servant boy hanged for stealing bread. He also meets the living, breathing Ophelia, a girl with secrets of her own. She and Elliott grow closer, but things take a terrifying turn when Elliott discovers Sebastian is occupying his body when he leaves it. And the more time Sebastian spends inhabiting a living body, the more resistant he becomes to giving it back. Worse, he seems to have an unhealthy interest in Ophelia. Unless Elliott can lay Sebastian's spirit to rest, he risks being possessed by him for ever, and losing the girl of his dreams..."

Join me in a chorus of "I WANT... RIGHT NOW!!!"

Department 19 by Will Hill [Review]

Written by: Will Hill.

Published by: HarperCollins.

Format: Hardback.

Released: 31st March 2011.

Rating: 4.5/5.

Official synopsis: "In a secret supernatural battle that's been raging for over a century, the stakes have just been raised – and they're not wooden anymore.

When Jamie Carpenter's mother is kidnapped by strange creatures, he finds himself dragged into Department 19, the government's most secret agency.

Fortunately for Jamie, Department 19 can provide the tools he needs to find his mother, and to kill the vampires who want him dead. But unfortunately for everyone, something much older is stirring, something even Department 19 can't stand up against…"

Late last year, some buzz began to grow within the bloggosphere about a book that was top secret and set to blow. Much like a timebomb, Department 19 came into my life. I first heard about it through twitter... saw some top secret (not really because it's twitter) tweets, had an email and then a book popped through my letterbox (I was invited to this really cool event but couldn't go due to just starting my current job...) with the following image.

No writing. Just the image. So simple and so intriguing. Well I decided to read the first chapter just to see what all the fuss was about - I'd heard several folk who had already read the book rave about it - and wish (in a good way...) that I hadn't started... Because what I read in the next 400-odd pages blew my mind.

Will's writing has something about it that's so engaging and yet at the same time you don't have the feeling that you're being told the story, more living it. Department 19 is one of those books where it feels more like watching a movie, or as I said a moment ago, with a little imagination you could be right there, in the thick of it all with Jamie. It's so effortless and second nature. So smooth.

The characters are well rounded. I'm only going to focus on one in the review as I don't want to give anything away within the book and some names would kind of spoil it unless you're reading it... He's a bit of a weird one. The social outcast at school. Everywhere really. And his mum is just as much of an outcast. Why? Because his father was a traitor - or so everyone believes. He obviously has some resentment towards his father and as he learns the truth about everything - the cover up's, oh the COVER UP'S! - things begin to get a lot clearer and we learn about Department 19 itself, a secret section within the UK Government who specialise in protecting the general public from vampires and other monsters.

The concept of a secret sector of the government defending us against the creepy crawlies of the night isn't exactly a new one, but it's the approach to this one that makes it completely original. The book doesn't let up for one second. Violence and rightfully so - these are vampires after all - lots of blood and gore. For a few moments when reading it, I forgot that essentially, this book is aimed at teenagers. It doesn't feel that way at all, when reading it. The book gave me everything that I needed when I read it and I felt like Will had actually written the book just for me. I felt that the book itself got me, and got inside my head. Like the pages were manipulating themselves just for me yet leaving me breathless to see what on earth happened to Jamie next. I know that Will did not write it with me in mind and not just for me... but sometimes when reading a book you just get that feeling, right?

For so long now books have been making promises. The next Harry Potter. The next Twilight. The next this, the next that. And they hardly ever live up to those expectations, although in some cases they do surpass... But with Department 19, there are no frills. You get it as it is. A raw and gritty novel that will shock, make you squirm, and yet make you laugh in equal measure - because there are funny moments too. In all honesty, the book doesn't take itself too seriously. And that's what I love about it so much. It doesn't say "ooh look at me, I'm going to look real cool and actiony and dark and then let you down... my bad." Whenever I look at the cover, which I love for its simplicity and yet being so damn eye catching, it says "take me as it comes... what have you got to lose?" For once we're not given false promises and we get a delivery worth waiting for. Wall to wall action. Sometimes in even the most thrilling of thrillers there can at points be an element or two of boredom, but not here!

And the monsters are actually scary for once! In recent output, in the vampire fiction market in particular, things have become watered down, second rate and romance fueled taking away from the fact that these are beasts, monsters who would rather rip your throat out than kiss it delicately! These are the stuff that real vampires, vampires as we know them and as they should be, are made of! This book reminded me of being small and being terrified of anything bloody, regardless of what it was.

Will has definitely set the bar with this one. Big time. I really don't know what else to say - what else I can say... Just make sure you do not miss out on this one. And with the release of the second book Department 19: The Rising is just under 4 months time, you don't have much time to waste! Trust me, I am gagging for book 2, and so will you be once you've read this!

My thanks to HarperCollins for my proof... and to Will for writing the book itself. You should definitely seek him out on twitter too. He's a very funny guy!

(N.B... And if you hear him speak on YouTube you'll understand when I say that he should narrate the audiobooks! Love his voice. Can you have voice envy? I do... so I'm going to say yes, yes you can!)

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