Unrest by Michelle Harrison [Review]

Written by: Michelle Harrison.

Published by: Simon and Schuster.

Format: Paperback.

Released: 26th April 2012.

Rating: 5/5.

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..."

I'll start this review by saying that I LOVE Michelle Harrison! Everything she's written so far has been just simply incredible. From The Thirteen Treasures, to The Thirteen Curses and The Thirteen Secrets, till now, with Unrest, she just knows how to hook you right from the very start.

Unrest is the tale of Elliot Drake. He's seventeen, and a few months ago, he nearly lost his life in a car accident. Just when he thought he'd be able to get back to some sense of normality, it all goes horribly, horribly wrong. He starts seeing things, things he wishes that he couldn't. It all happens when he sleeps. He see's his poor, defenceless body, and he's powerless to stop the dead that want to take it over.

I will say, that this book is not for the faint-hearted. It is downright terrifying. I even had to stop reading at a few points, because it was nearing bed time and I wanted a good nights sleep, nightmare, and hopefully ghost free! The images, the ghosts themselves. The bathtub... I'll say no more, other than SCARY! However, the fact remains that once you start, you just can't stop!

What I love about the book is its reality. Yes, we're dealing with ghosts - there are those that believe, and those that brush it off as tricks of the mind, but there's more to the book than just that. The characters are all well fleshed out. I love that Elliot isn't perfect. He's far from it. He's had his troubles, he's got a bit of a reputation with the ladies, and he's not exactly going to be awarded a Son of the Year award, but that's what makes him so loveable. He's flawed, just like everyone else, so he is fairly easy to relate to. 

Michelle's writing as always is brilliant. Rich, engaging - the voice in this book is just perfect! I love when you read a book and the writing is just so seamless, it flows, and Unrest, and indeed all of Michelle's previous work, is a good example of that.

So, to conclude...

You'll be hooked right from the very start. Bring a torch, but it's about to get pretty dark and scary up in here! You have been warned.

Buy from Amazon UK

Buy from The Book Depository

Anthony Horowitz visits the Antarctic - Oblivion is coming!!!

Regular readers of the blog, and people that follow me on twitter know that my most anticipated read this year has to be Oblivion by Anthony Horowitz. It is the fifth and final book in The Power of Five series, which began with Raven's Gate in 2005. Well now, at long last, and after a four year wait between now and the last book released, Nocropolis, we are just under 3 months away from finding out just how it all ends! Argh! 3 months! 3 months yesterday to be precise! Eep!

Anyway, Mr. Horowitz took himself off to the Antarctic earlier on in the year to research for the book, and actually wrote the closing scenes whilst there. I'm sorry, but that is just downright awesome! Check out a little video of his trip, released by his publisher, Walker Books.

Wow! Seriously cannot wait! Oblivion is published on 4th October. Bring. It. On!

Daughter of Smoke and Bone paperback release and Twinterview!

Today is the publication for the (gorgeous) paperback edition of Laini Taylor's awesome book, Daughter of Smoke and Bone! And so to celebrate, over on Twitter, the publisher (Hodder...) are hosting a twinterview with Laini herself! All you have to do is follow @SmokeandBone and you'll be able to ask your question from 5:30pm onwards!

Also, just as excitingly, there'll be the opportunity for you to win something extra special. A limited edition, proof copy of the next book in the series, Days of Blood and Starlight, which isn't even out till November! All you have to do to win is tweet a review in under 140 characters including the hashtag #smokeandbone!


Hodder have also released another, new trailer for the book!

Waiting On Wednesday: The City's Son

The City's Son is the first book in The Skyscraper Throne trilogy, and is due for publication on 2nd August. Written by Tom Pollock, it sounds like a little, like this...

Hidden under the surface of everyday London is a city of monsters and miracles, where wild train spirits stampede over the tracks and glass-skinned dancers with glowing veins light the streets. When a devastating betrayal drives her from her home, graffiti artist Beth Bradley stumbles into the secret city, where she finds Filius Viae, London's ragged crown prince, just when he needs someone most. An ancient enemy has returned to the darkness under St Paul's Cathedral, bent on reigniting a centuries-old war, and Beth and Fil find themselves in a desperate race through a bizarre urban wonderland, searching for a way to save the city they both love. The City's Son is the first book of The Skyscraper Throne trilogy: a story about family, friends and monsters, and how you can't always tell which is which.

Amazing! Right?


The cover is just as, if not even more so, amazing!

Cannot wait! Actually have an e-ARC on my Kindle so shall be getting to this very soon, hopefully!

Cover for The Casual Vacancy!!!!!

Finally after months of waiting, the cover art for the new J.K. Rowling book has been released. We already know it's called The Casual Vacancy, and if you don't, where have you been living? Under a rock or something? It's out on 27th September and I for one am very excited. The cover was released just a mere half an hour ago and looks like this:

I'll be honest. Not loving it. But I am not hating it either. It's underwhelming to say the least, and totally not what I was expecting. The red and yellow kind of makes my eyes hurt after a bit (good job I always take dustjackets off whilst reading a book, right?!). It's so boring. But then, it's an adult book, and adult books are often a more low-key affair. I do like that it looks a little like a ballot paper, obviously meant to parallel the subject of the book. It's just... I don't know! Maybe it'll be a grower - a cover that you'll come to love? 

As well as the cover, Little Brown have announced that the book will weigh in at a hefty 512 pages! Sweet! And they also revealed that in their origional announcement of the title and blurb, they got poor old Barry's surname wrong. It was announced as Fairweather, but is actually Fairbrother! Whoops!

Either way, regardless of what the book looks like, I can't wait to read it! Bring it on!

Letterbox Love #2

Okay, so. It's a new day, and a new month!!! It's been a few weeks since I did my last (and first...) Letterbox Love post. I've been meaning to do it weekly but things have been quite busy my end recently, hence the silence around here. For the first time in 7 weeks, I have a weekend off! Yay! So I'm able to update this! I also have the next week off and I'm going to attempt to get out of this reading slump I'm currently in, and get some reading done and maybe even a review or two written!

Anyway, I will apologise to start, if I have missed any books out. I tried to find them all but sometimes they hide! If I find any that weren't included, I'll try and get them included in a post later on! 

-

Rebel Heart by Moira Young (Eeep! Sequel to Blood Red Road!! So excited!)

Magyk, Flyte, Physik, Queste, Syren and Darke by Angie Sage (Ooh! Read the first one ages ago and loved it and these new covers are awesome!!! Very shiny!)

Divergent and Insurgent by Veronica Roth (US hardbacks... Could not resist!).

The Chemickal Marriage by G.W. Dahlquist.

Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer.

Metawars by Jeff Norton.

Shattered Dreams by Ellie James.

Earthfall by Mark Walden.

The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen.

Taken By Storm by Jennifer Lynn Barnes.

The Spook's Blood by Joseph Delaney.

Signed sampler of The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater.

I'm looking forward to this one. I'll admit to being disappointed by The Scorpio Races so really hoping I like this. Haven't had a chance to read the sampler yet, but I am loving the cover!

Thanks to all the awesome publisicts and publishers! Including, Bloomsbury, Scholastic, Puffin, Quercus, Random House, Orchard and Hodder. You guys rock!

Happy reading!