Author Archives: keithbwalters

Mini Reviews: Little Celeste & Goth Girl and the Ghost of a Mouse

New Books! #36 – plus various awesomeness

This week has been awesome 😀 I’m so excited to start the books I received. Also, lots of really cool things have happened very recently, so I’ll chuck them on the end of this post, just because (:

Received in Post:

BURN by Monica Hesse: I squealed so loudly when I opened up this! I fell in love with STRAY, the first book, last year. I’ve been waiting for ages to see what’ll happen next to Lona! Since it’s been at least eight months since I read STRAY, I’m re-reading it now, then I’ll be moving straight onto this afterward. I’m so excited, and I love the cover so much- thank you, Hot Key!

Looking For JJ by Anne Cassidy: I received a copy of the sequel to this, at Hot Key’s last blogger’s meet-up. It sounds so interesting, but I haven’t read the first book yet (published by a different company). Hot Key had a few copies of the first book to send out, so thanks so much to them for the copy of this. I love the anniversary cover, and the concept seems really brilliant. Looking forward to both this and the sequel!

ZOM-B: GLADIATOR by Darren Shan: I’m a huge fan of the series, and this was published right at the start of the year. I had completely forgotten! Shamefully, I bought it online *hangs head* but truthfully, I couldn’t find it in a bookshop! This came today and there was much fangirling. The cover really cool and awesome… in that grim, macabre, disgusting kind of way. I’m twisted. Meh. I can’t wait to start it! (:

Onto the awesomeness of the week! 😀 This was going to be put in a random post tomorrow but… I changed my mind and decided to have it here instead. For no apparent reason (:

I found out about some new book cover releases, for books I have been waiting so long for! This week involved a lot of squealing. Much of the squealing probably went toward City of Heavenly Fire’s gorgeous cover… Also, Goose and The Black North’s cover releases were totally unexpected and stumbled upon via twitter, so that was seriously awesome! Here they are. In all of their prettiness. *squeal*

One more little bit of cool stuff! 😀 My dad frequently writes book reviews for the Croydon Advertiser, a SE London newspaper. He sent one off my book reviews to see if I could try reviewing in there… And it was published this week! So, hopefully I’ll be posting some more book reviews in the newspaper. It was so cool to see my review of Boys Don’t Knit in print! Huge thank yous to the newspaper and, or course, all of the lovely people who tweeted me after I tweeted out a picture! (: This is what it looked like in there, but it’s probably hard to read- so you can view my review, originally posted on this blog, here.

So, that was a very diverse book haul/ bunch of cover reveals! ;D What are you most excited for, out of the new upcoming books I mentioned? Or have you read any of the books I’ve received? Leave a comment! (:

Book Review: Leopold Blue by Rosie Rowell

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Published by Hot Key Books, 2nd February 2014.

Leopold Blue Goodreads Synopsis: Meg Bergman is fifteen and fed up. She lives in a tiny town in rural 1990s South Africa – a hot-bed of traditionalism, racial tension and (in Meg’s eyes) ordinariness. Meg has no friends either, due largely to what the community sees as her mother’s interfering attempts to educate farm workers about AIDS. But one day Xanthe arrives – cool, urban, feisty Xanthe, who for some unknown reason seems to want to hang out with Meg.

Xanthe arrives into Meg’s life like a hurricane, offering her a look at a teenage life she never knew existed. But cracks quickly begin to show in their friendship when Meg’s childhood friend Simon returns from his gap year travels. LEOPOLD BLUE is an emotionally taut and beautifully-written story from a debut author with a mesmerising voice.

My Review: I began Leopold Blue not entirely knowing what it would be about; only knowing that it was centered around a powerful friendship, in 1990’s South Africa. I had heard lots of really amazing things about it, though- so I started with high hopes! I really was quite blown away. Leopold Blue is a poignant and beautifully written debut. It’s captivating and emotional. The book begins with English Meg and her sister, living in a small town in the middle of nowhere, South Africa. Zanthe, rebellious and unique, starts at Meg’s school, and soon Meg realises Zanthe is a person she want to be like, and the two form an unforgettable bond, until things begin to slowly change after the arrival of Meg’s childhood friend.

I really loved the characters. Meg was quite likeable- I enjoyed reading about her, and her friendship complications. She’s a perfect representation of a teenage girl, who’s struggling to find her place. Zanthe is her almost her complete opposite; she’s ruthless, and rebellious, and I think I may have loved her a little more! I guess I liked Zanthe for her personality, though the ending was pretty… Whoa Zanthe Whyyyy??

The setting was the perfect backdrop for the story. The town, despite being too small and boring to Meg, is home to a lot of racial tension. I don’t know much about S.A., especially from the 90’s, but I think Rosie Rowell has definitely captured everything so well! The story and the setting was so vivid in my head. I loved Rosie’s writing- it was so beautiful!

The plot was really interesting. It covers friendship, and family, and has themes of peer pressure. It’s so relevant, to so many teenagers; definitely essential for young adults! I got a really great insight into 1990’s rural S.A., and enjoyed it all. There were some really shocking parts that I definitely wasn’t expecting. I think the main thing that I didn’t really enjoy, was the ending. It was so well written, and I think it was satisfying, but it seemed… abrupt? I wasn’t expecting the book to end like that; although it was a clever place to end the story, I still think I want to hear a lot more!

Overall, Leopold Blue was a really stunning debut, and as it says in the synopsis: Rosie Rowell really does have a mesmerising voice. I loved her writing- it just flowed so well, beautifully and packed with emotion. The characters were brilliant; especially Zanthe… I’m not sure how other people will see her, after certain points, though! Set in an exciting country at a really important time, I can’t recommend this more to every teenager for its themes, and to anybody who’s looking for a next big debut.

My Rating:

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I received a copy of Leopold Blue from the publisher, in exchange for a review. In no way at all did this affect my thoughts.

Page to Film: Adaptions I’m most excited for in 2014!

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There are so many other movies to be excited about,too! Debbie @ Snuggling on the Sofa made this brilliant post about them.

Leave a comment with what you’re most excited for! (: As well as these, I’m also excited about all the Marvel movies out soon, like X Men: Days of Future Past, Captain America: Winter Soldier, and Guardians of the Galaxy! I hope you enjoyed the graphic-y thing (:

Book Review: BOMBMAKER By Claire McFall

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Published by Templar Books, 1st February 2014.

Bombmaker Goodreads Synopsis: The English government have closed the borders with their Celtic neighbours. Any Celt found in England is branded with a tattoo, found twice they are executed. Scottish Lizzie is the ‘property’ of psychopathic London gang boss Alexander. Can Lizzie escape Alexander’s deadly grip and at what price her betrayal?

My Review (WARNING: Contains one spoiler, third paragraph!): Bombmaker was so thrilling! I was so excited to read more from Claire McFall, after loving Ferryman last year. Ferryman was a paranormal mystery: Bombmaker is very different. It stands out as anoriginal, thought-provoking dystopian, which is amazing because there’s a bit of a Dystopia craze at the moment.

It’s a dystopian vision of England, where the economic crisis has gotten worse; and the country has taken drastic measures by shutting foreigners out. If you’re a Celt, found without a Visa in England, you’re tattooed on the cheek; found a second time, and you’re shot. Lizzie is a tattooed Celt, living life dangerously in England, but under ownership of a psychopathic criminal mastermind, Alexander. Alexander was a terrifying antagonist… the way he used Lizzie as a servant, and his criminal organisation… it all gave me the shivers!

Lizzie was instantly likeable. I felt so awful for her from the first chapters, where Claire shows us what torture she’s under, forced to work for Alexander. She has a talent for making bombs, which is a main reason why she’s useful for him, and she’s also quite rebellious. I loved that side of her. Lizzie was relatable, brave and a really well developed character. I felt like I was living her story in real life, thanks to Claire’s writing and her realistic personality. The only thing I kind of didn’t like about her, was that she seemed to *SMALL SPOILER ALERT KLAXON :)* move on from one guy to another so quickly in the story. I’m not quite sure I felt she should’ve gone with A Certain Love Interest after… though I did warm to him a little bit more later on! *SPOILER OVER :)*

The plot was full of clever twists, and was completely unpredictable. I was aiming to read just half of it, at least: I started it on New Year’s Eve and wanted to finish one more book before 2014, but didn’t think I would. Well, I did, purely because I simply couldn’t put Bombmaker down! I ended up devouring the book in two hours… it was so clever, and thrilling, and full of mystery. The setting was… pretty scary. This vision of a near-future England is terrifyingly possible, Claire’s writing brought it to life so vividly and imaginatively. It’ll keep you awake at night wondering about it, and you’ll be eager for more at the end!

Overall, Bombmaker was a brilliant book to end 2013 with… I absolutely loved it. It was a pacy, tense thriller driven by a great protagonist. Just… addictive! Highly recommended to anybody looking for an original and unique dystopia, that’s set to be a big hit. I’m crossing all my finger for a sequel, or at least a new book from Claire McFall soon… I love her writing so much! (:

My Rating:

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I received a copy of BOMBMAKER from the publisher, in exchange for a review. In no way at all did this affect my thoughts.

New Books! #35

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A day-late, relatively shorter than usual, book haul post! 😀 Mainly this week, I’ve bought eBooks- two thirds of which were due to #TeaTime run by Epic Reads. I only got to watch last Wednesday’s stream for a few minutes, but I bought Patricia McCormick’s book and Paul Zindel’s book thanks to them! They look really interesting, and I love their new covers.

A little about the other two titles:

THE HUMANS by Matt Haig: I’ve just wanted to read this for so long! The story seems really intriguing and the cover is striking and I keep looking at it in the Kindle store and in Bookshops. I decided I’d finally buy it- I hope I find it as awesome as a lot of people have said it is.

Looking at the Stars by Jo Cotterill: The cover is so gorgeous… and the synopsis had me really interested. I requested a copy from Random House recently and it arrived this week. I can’t wait to start it- Thank you, Random House! This had gone straight up to the top of the TBR, so I’ll be reading it very soon. As well as a review soon, there will also be a special post of some kind for this book, hopefully at the end of the month… *mysterious face* 😉

So that’s my book haul for the week! Leave a comment linking back to your own book haul, or telling me what you think of these titles if you’ve read one before! ;D

I’m kind of glad that the majority of this was eBooks because the amazing to-read-wardrobe literally will not hold any more books. Oops.

Book Review: Boys Don’t Knit by T. S. Easton

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Published by Hot Key Books, 2nd January.

Boys Don't Knit Goodreads Synopsis: Ben Fletcher must get to grips with his more ‘feminine’ side following an unfortunate incident with a lollipop lady and a stolen bottle of Martini Rosso from Waitrose. All a big misunderstanding of course.

To avoid the Young Offenders unit, Ben is ordered to give something back to the community and develop his sense of social alignment. Take up a hobby and keep on the straight and narrow. The hot teacher he likes runs a knitting group so Ben, reluctantly at first, gets ‘stuck in’. Not easy when your dad is a sports fan and thinks Jeremy Clarkson is God.

To his surprise, Ben finds that he likes knitting and that he has a mean competitive streak. If he can just keep it all a secret from his mates…and notice that the girl of his dreams, girl-next-door Megan Hooper has a bit of a thing for him…Laugh-out-loud, often ridiculous, sometimes quite touching, and revelatory about the knitting world, Boys Don’t Knit is a must for boys and girls…

My Review: I was not expecting so many laughs and so much fun from this. I devoured the whole book cover to cover in one sitting; I literally couldn’t put it down! Tom’s book definitely isn’t one to miss this year.

Boys Don’t Knit is different from anything I’ve read. I read quite a lot of contemporary, but I’ve never come across something so original and something that brings such a big smile to my face as this. Ben’s accidental crimes were so funny, I couldn’t help but laugh as well as feel a little sympathetic. Ben decides a knitting class is the best for him out of a rather unappealing selection, mainly because the teacher he has a crush on is said to be running it. Ben’s knitting adventure is full of mishaps and classic laugh-out-loud moments. I loved reading about it! I literally had no idea where the book was going, but I wasn’t disappointed.

Ben reminds me of a male version of Tallulah Casey, from my old favourite Louise Rennison series, because they’re both such hilarious, brilliant protagonists. His family’s rather strange, and his secret obsession is the last thing boys are expected to be taking up, and anyone who reads his story will at least smile. Ben and his knitting obsession is hard to dislike. He’s so different from his friends, and really stands out. I loved the way that his knitting club, something he was half-dreading, turns into a lifestyle, and completely changes his life in a lot of ways. Ben’s such a memorable character. More like him in books in future, please!

I was giggling like a maniac for the most part, literally from the first page. The story starts at a hilarious point with his parents and from then on, I knew the book definitely was as hilarious as I’d been told. Reading this in one sitting at home, I guess I was kind of lucky. People would’ve thought I was a bit made if I read it in public. Tom’s writing is witty and sharp, and it’s so hard not to giggle at a lot of points. It’s a book I think both girls and boys will love, and I’m definitely going to be recommending it to anyone and everyone.

Overall, Boys Don’t Knit, was just awesome. The plot was witty but captured a teenage boy’s life really well, and how hard it is to fit in when you have a hobby no one else has. I’ve never seen or read a book anything like it before, and it’s a must whether you’re a boy or a girl, a teenager or an adult. It’s a laugh-out-loud book that I think might be the funniest book I’ve read in a good few months! Bonus: HUNGER GAMES REFERENCES. (“I’m Katnisssssss!” – you will understand after reading). I loved Ben, and Megan and Ben’s teacher-crush and practically everyone. I can’t recommend it enough!

My Rating:

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I received a copy of Boys Don’t Knit from the publisher, in exchange for a review. In no way at all did this affect my thoughts.

An Experimental Post!

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A (slightly different than normal) book review: IMPOSTOR by Susanne Winnacker

Hi blogosphere! Yesterday I was jotting down ideas, for what kinds of new posts I could do this year. Last year was pretty much Review, Review, Haul, Review, Review, Haul, Event, Review, Review… It probably got pretty boring. I’d love to do more discussions this year on my blog, because they’re really fun to write but I’ve never actually published one before.

I was also fiddling around on some sites yesterday, working out ways to make my reviews look cooler, as I’ve already attempted this with my book haul posts. I came up with what’s below! ;D It’s a book review, but I wanted to make it look a bit more fun and different from my normal, rather long ones that are entirely text. Behold: the Review-Graphic *cue heavenly choir music*. I don’t know if this has been done before…

I’ve picked a book that I recently loved, to experiment here with. I hope you enjoy the graphic, and that you’re left wanting to pick up a copy of the book… (:

Click on the image for a close up, if the text is difficult to read!

I hope you enjoyed the mini-review and my review-graphic! I really recommend Impostor. It was such a brilliant start to a series; make sure you find the chance to read it! (: I’ll be eagerly awaiting the sequel, Defector, which is out in June (way to far away…. gah!)

Thanks to Liz for being very awesome and letting me borrow her copy!

New Books! #34

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Uh oh. I have a big book haul this week D: When shopping, I bought… nine books. Then my dad had a Big Bookish Clear-out, in which he sorted out a lot of books to boot-fair, etc. He gave me a lot too, and now I literally have no more room in my amazing TBR Wardrobe… I need a readathon soon to clear some room in there! (And there is talk with Debbie about this. We crazily thought about a 24 hour one on twitter…) Anyway, what I *think* is all of them!

So, I’ll talk about a few of them! (:

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith: I saw a picture of this cover tweeted out by somebody that I can’t remember a while ago. I had the cover in my head for ages, because this edition is so gorgeous! The story seems really interesting and unique. I spotted it in a local Waterstones earlier this week. I didn’t realised it was such s big book, though!

ALL THE DOCTOR WHO BOOKS ;D (Summer Falls collection, plus the 11 doctors series by authors including Ben Aaranovitch): Summer Falls was found in an awesome local comic shop. It has the Melody Malone story, which featured a bit in the episode with 11, Amy Pond and the weeping angels, if I’m remembering right! I really wanted to read it and had no idea it was part of a cut three-novella collection. Excited for that! Also, The Works has six of the Eleven Doctors novels in a 3 for £5 sale. I couldn’t not buy them…

ADVENT by James Treadwell: I’ve heard a lot of bad reviews, but I’ve also heard many good reviews. I’ve read some extracts and the writing is very beautiful! A large reason I’m looking forward to this is because the hardback edition is so pretty… I think this was sent to dad when hit first came out, and it’s got a pretty set of quote bookmarks too! (:

Various Sherlock Holmes Novels by various authors: I’ve been in a Sherlock mood, because SHERLOCK SERIES THREE! (off task note: Wasn’t it awesome and heart-breaking and heart-warming and funny and scary and action packed and AWESOME? June did a brilliant thing on her blog about it.) These obviously aren’t about the Benedict Cumberbatch Sherlock, but there are so many spin offs of the original by lots of authors. I’m kind of collecting them…

I would fangirl about more but I’d be typing for hours D: I’ll stop there! Have you read any of these, and what were they like? Leave a comment! (:

Book Review: The Queen of Dreams by Peter Hamilton

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Published by Doubleday (Random House books), 2nd January.

Goodreads Synopsis: Taggie and Jemima are summer holidaying on their dad’s farm, when they see a white squirrel wearing glasses . . . and soon after their father is captured and trapped in a faerie world that’s fallen to Darkness.

But why would anybody want to kidnap boring old Dad, especially the dreaded King of Night? Could it be that their family isn’t quite as ordinary as they believed?

My Review: I received The Queen of Dreams as a surprise in late 2013, and the cover was so gorgeous- I was excited to start it. I think it’s going to be a modern classic for children- ‘The new Alice in Wonderland’ is a fitting way to put it!

The Queen of Dreams follows Taggie and Jemima- two girls about to stay with their dad, currently divorced from their mum, on a holiday. Strange things surround their dad’s cottage… and within hours they’ve seen a squirrel wearing glasses leap down a well, then their dad is kidnapped, by terrifying creatures. I thought the squirrel thing was a bit too Alice in Wonderland at first, and was a little scared this book wouldn’t be very original. But, it really was! I enjoyed it a lot.

The fantastical world Peter Hamilton has created is vivid and beautiful. There are hidden realms, lost heirs to the throne, fairies flying in the sky, and a strangely loveable talking squirrel. It was so fun to get lost in the story, and at the last page I really wanted more! The book has a magical, personal feeling about it, because it was written for Peter’s children and two of the characters take his kids’ names. I found that really sweet!

Peter’s writing is descriptive and rich, and he’s created some really great characters. The king of night and the creepy people who begin to follow Taggie and Jemima are truly terrifying, and the main girls themselves are really fun to read about. There are themes of divorce and family in the book too, that I loved, and there’s a clever twist at the end of the book that left me aching for answers about the parents!

I loved the characters Taggie and Jemima, but at some points, I couldn’t really connect with them. That was one of a few parts of the book that I didn’t like! Also, events moved very quickly, and at a few points I struggled to keep up a little. I hope the pace slows down a bit in book two, so I can appreciate the writing better. Okay, The Queen of Dreams is a fantasy novel, but some parts I did find a little out of place, like a certain trip back in time to a well known place I can’t say anymore about… (:

Overall, The Queen of Dreams is a rich, imaginative and engrossing story. This is Peter’s first book for children, and I definitely enjoyed it. ‘m looking forward to hunting down Hamilton’s adult Sci-Fi novels, now, and the sequel to this! The Queen of Dreams is a mesmerizing story- a bit random in places, and sometimes very fast-moving, to me. However, I think a lot of children and adults alike are going to love it. I’m glad I got the chance to read it, as it’s definitely going to become a modern classic.

My Rating:

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I received a copy of The Queen of Dreams from the publisher, in exchange for a review. In no way at all did this affect my thoughts.