Author Archives: keithbwalters

Book Review: Flesh and Blood by Simon Cheshire

Published 12th March 2015 by RED EYE (Stripes Publishing).

Goodreads Synopsis: I must record the facts that have led me to where I am now. So that, when someone reads this, they understand. Sam Hunter’s neighbours are pillars of the community, the most influential people in town. But they’re liars too. The Greenhills are hiding something and Sam’s determined to find out what it is. As his investigation unfolds, he realizes the lies reach further than he ever imagined – is there anyone he can trust? Uncovering the horror is one thing …escaping is another. A chilling new story in the Red Eye series.

My Review: No exaggeration, I jumped up and down for a while when I heard about Stripes Publishing’s new imprint – RED EYE – a series of new horror YA novels, starting this year. I haven’t gotten around to reading the first two in the series yet, but was very excited when I was able to read this instalment!

Flesh and Blood centres around Sam Hunter, who moves to a nicer and seemingly perfect neighbourhood after his dad’s success. Everything seems dreamily brilliant until he stumbles across the first horror, and then notices some strange traits in his neighbours… Then begins to search for the horrifying, shocking truth behind the Greenhills.

I was absorbed in the story straight away and loved the format it was written in: Sam’s narration felt really honest and I liked how it was written as a report, stating the facts with occasional present-tense comments about what had happened. Sam is a very three-dimensional feeling character. The decisions he makes in this book are bound to drive people crazy… But in a weird way, I understood him because it was just realistic.

Despite the suggestive cover image and the title Flesh and Blood, it was a lot gorier and freaky than I’d assumed – and it got freaky and gory very quickly. I’d read on the press release that this book wasn’t for the “faint hearted” and… Well, I can’t emphasise that enough… I got pretty squeamish at a lot of points! The story is pretty brutal. The plot was really great and felt like a classic horror story, yet refreshing – but the themes were just unnerving.

I don’t even know how to talk about the ending. No words will do it justice! It’s twisted, horrific, and makes you question everything you knew about the main character – though I think it gave him more depth. It’s safe to say the last pages will be stuck in your head for days. I’m still wishing I knew what happened next – but in a good way. The cliffhanger-feeling is pretty epic in this.

Overall, I was really blown away by my firs RED EYE read, and I will definitely be seeking out the other books from the imprint as they’re released. It was riveting: The story is definitely one of the most grim things I’ve come across – some points I got real chills. Definitely recommended, though only if you can handle its creepy contents. I’m now apprehensive about going to the doctor’s.

My Rating:

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

Book Review: One Of Us by Jeannie Waudby

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Published 5th February 2015 by Chicken House books.

24777962 Goodreads Synopsis: When K narrowly survives a bomb attack, she agrees to go undercover to spy on the Brotherhood, the radical young group held responsible, and whom she’s determined to bring to justice. But whilst living among them, soon even enemies become real people. And when she falls in love, K discovers that some things are not black and white …
What’s right – and who’s wrong? Someone’s always to blame.
From debut author, Jeannie Waudby, comes a nail-biting contemporary drama set in a modern society divided by violence, prejudice and distrust. One of Us is a topical YA thriller about young love and religious intolerance – can one isolated girl learn to understand who she is and where she stands in such a world.

My Review: I was eagerly anticipating reading One Of Us, and I really enjoyed it, despite taking so long to finish it due to exam revision!

One Of Us is a gripping début. It’s the story of K Child, an orphaned teenager who is asked by an officer, who saves her from a bomb attack, to go undercover in a Brotherhood school to uncover a terrorist group. K’s city is divided between the citizens and the Brotherhood, who are a religious minority that aren’t tolerated because of past terrorist events.

One Of Us really hits home because of its concept, because it can easily be applied to the prejudice in today’s world, and how we treat people based on their backgrounds. The parallels between Jeannie Waudby’s fictional city and our real world were so strong, which made it feel so realistic – and slightly unnerving…

The plot swept me up from the first pages, where K is on the train to school when a bomb explodes and her life is turned upside down. I’ve had to spend a lot of time on school-work lately, but otherwise I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have put the book down at all! K develops a lot throughout the story and I grew to really like her, as she navigated a Brotherhood society and had to question everything she’d been told all her life. I’m not too sure on how I felt about the love story that grew in One Of Us, though I’m sure other readers will adore it.

I think the only thing I would’ve changed about the book was the ending. There’s a lot to take in, in the last fifty pages, and that plot twists was completely unexpected – but I wished the truth K uncovered was explained more. It was really shocking and I would have loved to read more about the story she finds.

Overall, One Of Us was a really riveting read; the kind of book you want to read in one go – I was drawn in from the first pages ~~(and then reluctantly pulled away because revision meh).~~ There were a few things I’m still mulling over, but I really recommend it if you’re a fan of hard-hitting, contemporary thrillers like Malorie Blackman’s Noughts and Crosses!

My Rating:

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

Book Review: Big Game by Dan Smith

Trying to be organised: How I Blog

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I’ve always wanted to make a post on how, exactly, I go about blogging – though I wasn’t too sure how to write the post. What do I talk about? It struck me that I literally have no coherent method of blogging. The way I do things is completely all over the place. I know many bloggers who have organised schedules and simple ways of doing things, but I am not one of those people…

Then, I realised, maybe my disorganisation would make an interesting blog post! In no way is my blog professional or organised, but read on for a look at all of the tools I use, to attempt to be 😛

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Firstly, for notes and drafts, I use Evernote and OneNote (When I don’t have a notebook around). I use Evernote the most, to jot down random paragraphs of reviews or mini to-do / to-read lists.

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When I’m not at my computer or with my phone, I have a notebook available. I used to try to keep my notebooks organised – one journal, one scrapbook, one blogging notebook and one for school work… But everything ends up all over the place. At the moment everything I write down / scrapbook about is in one journal because last year I was using about four notebooks at once. Confuzzling! The GIF on the right is of all of the notebooks I’ve used for writing and blogging over the past year or so.

Probably the biggest and most useful site for me is Goodreads. Hurrah for Goodreads! I do not know how I survived before I signed up: It’s my source (And is for most bloggers!) for synopses, book jackets, publication information… and for tracking my reading. The Goodreads challenge stats come in useful for when I want to clearly see what I’ve been reading so I can choose what to review next.

Another online tool I’ve started using again is Excel. Last year, I attempted to make a spreadsheet of ARCs, so I knew what books to read and review before certain dates. I think I used it for about three months, but it just got abandoned! However, I’m trying it again this year. I don’t receive an overwhelming amount of proofs to the point where I lose track of things; a main reason I’m doing a spreadsheet for 2015 is to try a new skill. ICT was randomly dropped from my curriculum at school, so I’m resorting to teaching myself spreadsheet skillz.

And, of course, I always use PicMonkey to create images! There are so many photo editing and graphic design programs and sites out there, but PicMonkey is pretty much the only one I use. I always go to it when I need to edit photos for posts, and I’ve used the fonts, overlays & effects to create every graphic on this blog – from my header to the occasional infographic.

If you’re a blogger, what’s your favourite way to create and organise? 🙂

Book Review: The Bell Between Worlds by Ian Johnstone

Book Review: The Death House by Sarah Pinborough

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Published 26th February 2015 by Orion Books.

24597331 Goodreads Synopsis: Toby’s life was perfectly normal . . . until it was unravelled by something as simple as a blood test.

Taken from his family, Toby now lives in the Death House; an out-of-time existence far from the modern world, where he, and the others who live there, are studied by Matron and her team of nurses. They’re looking for any sign of sickness. Any sign of their wards changing. Any sign that it’s time to take them to the sanatorium.

No one returns from the sanatorium.

Withdrawn from his house-mates and living in his memories of the past, Toby spends his days fighting his fear. But then a new arrival in the house shatters the fragile peace, and everything changes.

Because everybody dies. It’s how you choose to live that counts.

My Review: I hadn’t heard of The Death House until I received a proof copy, but after reading the blurb I was sure I would enjoy it! The concept sounded very chilling and dark, and it definitely was – it’s very unsettling at points.

The concept of the story is that if you get a certain result on a blood test as a child, you are sent to the Death House – here you stay with the other infected kids, similar to a boarding school, but there’s seemingly no way out… Unless you start to show symptoms and you’re taken to the sanatorium. Which nobody ever returns from.

I liked the mysterious concept, as Sarah leaves much to the imagination of the reader. I tried to come up with possibilities and answers, my mind running away with all sorts of scenarios of the outside world. The whole book is very eerie, because nothing about this illness, and not much about the outside world, is fully explained. However it did get to the point where I just needed to know how and what and why. I was a little sad the ending didn’t completely wrap it up – the last few pages were incredibly tragic but I felt at the end that there was something missing.

I’m quite mixed on the characters. They are incredibly well fleshed-out, real-feeling teenagers, and yet I just didn’t… Attach to them very much… ~~Oh god I have no heart.~~ I really don’t know why, but I know I’m in the minority of people who are mixed on this book – There have been so many five star reviews, and I can completely see why so many people have found this book, particularly the characters, truly astounding. Of course, there were a couple of bits I got quite choked up at but I just never felt like I was 100% into the story.

Overall, The Death House was a very evocative, quick read – I really recommend it if you’re looking for a very chilling, mysterious standalone novel. It’s hard to place it into a category, because it felt almost like a zombie novel, and it looks and feels like a dark horror, but it reads like a YA contemporary romance – quite bizarre sounding, but it’s incredibly memorable. I know I’m one of a small number of people who hasn’t enjoyed this just as much of others – for some reason, something just didn’t click with me – but I’m confident most people will be rendered completely awestruck by Pinborough’s inventive plot.

My Rating:

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

Mini Reviews: Tomboy and Lost at Sea

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This was intended to be a mini-reviews post, but… I rambled quite a bit about both books! I thought I’d keep them together in a post, though, as they were the first graphic novels I’ve read this year. (And they’ve really set the bar high for the others I’ll read in 2015…)

Tomboy By Liz Prince, published by Zest Books.

Goodreads Synopsis: Growing up, Liz Prince wasn’t a girly girl, dressing in pink tutus or playing pretty princess like the other girls in her neighbourhood. But she wasn’t exactly one of the guys, either. She was somewhere in between. But with the forces of middle school, high school, parents, friendship, and romance pulling her this way and that, “the middle” wasn’t exactly an easy place to be. Tomboy follows award-winning author and artist Liz Prince through her early years and explores–with humor, honesty, and poignancy–what it means to “be a girl.”

My Review: This has got to be one of the most relatable books I’ve ever read. I have so much love for Tomboy. The graphic novel documents Liz Prince’s childhood and teenage life; the great bits and the not-so-great bits, and does so through some of the most enjoyable illustrations I’ve come across.

I felt a lot like Liz while I read this: And even if you weren’t a tomboy growing up, the book is easy to relate to on an emotional level still. All through growing up, Liz prefers what’s considered the “boyish” things, like trousers and comics and monster trucks. The illustrations perfectly document how she felt, being expected to behave and present in a certain way.

It’s a graphic memoir about finding ways to fit in – but it’s also a graphic memoir that explores a topic I haven’t seen written about much – gender expectations. I’m always pretty vocal on this topic IRL – I find the whole thing where people are expected to be a certain way based on their birth gender really. So, I’m really glad this book explores what it means to “be a girl.”

I can’t recommend this highly enough – it’s a truly unforgettable read, and after finishing, I’d really love to read both more graphic memoirs like it, and books exploring the same themes of gender. Liz is such a great writer and illustrator; Tomboy was moving, poignant and also quite funny at points. 😀

My Rating:

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Lost at Sea By Bryan Lee O’Malley, published by Oni Press.

Goodreads Synopsis: Raleigh doesn’t have a soul. A cat stole it – or at least that’s what she tells people – or at least that’s what she would tell people if she told people anything. But that would mean talking to people, and the mere thought of social interaction is terrifying. How did such a shy teenage girl end up in a car with three of her hooligan classmates on a cross-country road trip? Being forced to interact with kids her own age is a new and alarming proposition for Raleigh, but maybe it’s just what she needs – or maybe it can help her find what she needs – or maybe it can help her to realize that what she needs has been with her all along.

My Review: I am such a fan of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s work: I have been ever since I first watched Scott Pilgrim Vs The World, then discovered the graphic novels that inspired it! Lost at Sea was O’Malley’s début standalone graphic novel (if I’m right!) so I ordered a copy, eager to read something of his that wasn’t Scott Pilgrim-related.

Once I’d started this, I didn’t want to stop, and I didn’t want it to finish. I could’ve ridden alongside Raleigh and the others on their road trip forever. I loved the concept of the story, and plot was both mysterious and moving: it was interesting to see how all of the character’s relationships developed as simultaneously Raleigh reveals her past to the reader.

The illustrations were absolutely gorgeous, as was the narration. Raleigh’s voice was really wistful-feeling and poetic in places, though it’s juxtaposed by some hilarious dialogue. I felt very much like Raleigh at parts: She’s an instantly understandable character, being young and confused and introverted, but with so much happening inside of her mind.

On the blurb of my copy, it says “if you’ve ever been eighteen, or confused, or both, maybe you should read this book.” And that’s pretty much the best way to sum it up. Also, if that hasn’t swayed you: There is a scene involving both an existential crisis and a midnight cat-hunt. Sold now? Thought so. 😀

My Rating:

I purchased copies of Tomboy and Lost At Sea online.

Blog Tour: The Darkest Part of the Forest #BookishWishes

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I’m a really big fan of Holly Black, and have been ever since I read the Spiderwick Chronicles when I was younger – so I’m really excited for the release of The Darkest Part of the Forest this month!

This post is part of the #BookishWishes blog tour, where lots of bloggers are sharing their book-related dreams. You can find lots more blog posts from great bloggers by stalking the hashtag on Twitter! 🙂

My Bookish Wishes:

I wish two of my favourite fantasy authors would team up for an ultimate fairy tale retelling – Holly Black and Neil Gaiman. Because how cool would that be?! I’ve recently really enjoyed Neil Gaiman’s retellings of The Sleeper and the Spindle and Hansel & Gretel – I would love to see him collaborate with Holly. Preferably about fairies. Because faaaaaaairies.

And, as fairy godmother (and thanks to Indigo/Orion for being so awesome), I wish to bestow a copy of The Darkest Part of the Forest upon my school’s library – I’m sure our lovely librarian and all of the kids who use the library would love to read the new Holly Black book.

About The Darkest Part of the Forest:

Children can have a cruel, absolute sense of justice. Children can kill a monster and feel quite proud of themselves. A girl can look at her brother and believe they’re destined to be a knight and a bard who battle evil. She can believe she’s found the thing she’s been made for.

Hazel lives with her brother, Ben, in the strange town of Fairfold where humans and fae exist side by side. The faeries’ seemingly harmless magic attracts tourists, but Hazel knows how dangerous they can be, and she knows how to stop them. Or she did, once. At the centre of it all, there is a glass coffin in the woods. It rests right on the ground and in it sleeps a boy with horns on his head and ears as pointy as knives. Hazel and Ben were both in love with him as children. The boy has slept there for generations, never waking.

Until one day, he does… As the world turns upside down and a hero is needed to save them all, Hazel tries to remember her years spent pretending to be a knight. But swept up in new love, shifting loyalties, and the fresh sting of betrayal, will it be enough?

About Holly Black:

Holly Black is the bestselling author of YA and children’s books including being co-creator of The Spiderwick Chronicles, a NEW YORK TIMES No.1 bestselling phenomenon and hugely successful film. She has been a finalist for the MYTHOPOEIC AWARD, the EISNER AWARD and a recipient of the ANDRE NORTON AWARD and a NEWBERY HONOR. She currently lives in New England in a house with a secret door.

VENDETTA Blog Tour: Catherine Doyle on films that inspired Vendetta

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I’m really delighted to be hosting a spot on the Vendetta blog tour! Vendetta is a UKYA début novel from a talented, young new voice in YA literature. You can read my review of Vendetta by clicking here. Here’s a guest post from the author, talking about films that inspired her début…

Catherine Doyle: Films that Inspired Vendetta

As a small child, there was nothing quite as exciting to me as watching Cinderella or Pocahontas or Aladdin, and as I grew up, my love of movies grew with me, expanding to include more than just the old Disney favourites. I fell in love with The Princess Bride, saw Pirates of the Caribbean five times in the cinema, and spent hours imagining myself as an elf living in Middle Earth. While I was studying for my undergraduate degree I got a part-time job in a movie rental shop, where I worked for four years. I got to encourage my passion for cinema and forge friendships with a bunch of awesome, like-minded movie junkies at the same time.

Of course, books have always held a special place in my heart, but together, novels and films have inspired my creative side and set me on the path I’m on now.

For me, writing is a very visual endeavor. I take my cues from images in every day life or ones that randomly pop into my head. From there, I build the scenes and the characters, and see where the story takes me.

Vendetta was inspired by an image that popped into my head one night as I was falling asleep. There was a crumbling white mansion, and in front, five boys were standing side-by-side, doused in shadow. The story began from here, but as the characters took shape I suddenly discovered where they were leading me and what I wanted to do – I wanted to bring the Mafia to YA in a way that was fresh and exciting, while also providing a throwback to some of the greatest films of that genre. I hope I have managed to do just that! The finished result is a teenage romantic thriller reminiscent of The Godfather, Goodfellas and Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet.

The Godfather finds its place in the family structures and power-plays that drive the story of Vendetta. The theme of loyalty is a powerful one, while corruption and deception are equally rife, threatening the stability of Nic and Sophie’s world just as betrayal and dissension affected the powerful Corleone family in Coppola’s adaptation of Mario Puzo’s iconic works.

There is a scene in Goodfellas where the protagonist, Henry, has to comfort his girlfriend after her neighbour harasses her. After dropping Karen home and attending to her with great tenderness, Henry tracks down her abusive neighbour and what follows is a take-down. This sequence expertly juxtaposes heart-thudding romance with violence, and brings about a sense of uneasiness in the viewer. There’s discomfort having to witness something so dark, and yet a sliver of appreciation for someone being so impassioned by the mistreatment of a loved one that their defence far outweighs the initial crime. The co-existence of dark and light is something I wanted to instill in Vendetta, where questions of morality compete against the ideas of love and devotion, and the lines between right and wrong are blurred.

Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is an intimate portrayal of all-consuming teenage love, and the obstacles that can threaten the purity of something experienced at such a young ago. Rival family politics play a similarly large role in Vendetta, and as an ode to the star-crossed lovers theme, the cover of the book is reminiscent of Luhrmann’s 1996 movie posters.

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I can really see what parts of the book each movie has inspired, which is awesome! Also, Baz Luhrmann’s version of Romeo and Juliet has to be one of my favourite films – I love how Vendetta has developed from aspects of it 🙂

Check out the rest of the blog tour stops!

Vendetta by Catherine Doyle out now in paperback (£7.99, Chicken House). Find out more about the author at http://catherine-doyle.tumblr.com and http://www.catherinedoylebooks.com.

Book Review: Looking For Alaska by John Green [Tenth Anniversary Edition]

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Published February 2015 by Harper Collins.

24599112 Goodreads Synopsis: Miles has a quirky interest in famous people’s last words, especially François Rabelais’s final statement, “I go to seek a Great Perhaps.” Determined not to wait for death to begin a similar quest, Miles convinces his parents to let him leave home. Once settled at Culver Creek Preparatory School, he befriends a couple of equally gifted outcasts: his roommate Chip―commonly known as the Colonel—who has a predilection for memorizing long, alphabetical lists for fun; and the beautiful and unpredictable Alaska, whom Miles comes to adore.

The kids grow closer as they make their way through a school year filled with contraband, tests, pranks, breakups, and revelations about family and life. But as the story hurtles toward its shattering climax, chapter headings like “forty-six days before” and “the last day” portend a tragic event―one that will change Miles forever and lead him to new conclusions about the value of his cherished “Great Perhaps.”

My review is of the tenth anniversary special edition, which contains bonus content and deleted scenes.

My Review: This book came as a surprise in the post, but I was so excited when it arrived. I read Looking For Alaska last year, in the short period after finishing John Green’s latest book, The Fault in Our Stars, and I wasn’t sure about rereading it – but I ended up doing so and I think I loved it even more than I did the first time around.

Going back to revisit Miles and Alaska and the Colonel felt like a nostalgic reunion with old friends – I forgot how much I loved the characters and their chemistry. Though I feel that all of John Green’s characters are somewhat similar, I can’t fault them. They’re always endlessly funny, yet complex, and they have such well developed back-stories. Since my first read, I’d forgotten much of Alaska’s background and how it connects with her future, and it was quite haunting to rediscover it.

As for the plot, I somehow felt even more absorbed, knowing what was coming (though admittedly I forgot at which point the BIG PLOT TWIST THAT BROKE MY HEART happened, and it struck me really hard and I spent the rest of the night crying to my friend). I also picked up on some parallels in the ‘before’ and ‘after’ sections that the book is split into – I didn’t notice how events lined up and how the story begins 135 days before and ends 135 days after, exactly. This is why rereading is the best – There are so many things you pick up that you hadn’t noticed before!

However, I did dislike some bits of the plot – I loved the ending but I don’t feel it did the book justice, that near-end scene just felt a little disjointed and random to me. The ‘before’ part is definitely the best part, plot-wise, as in the ‘after’ I felt everything was just dragged out a little. However, it was definitely the most emotional part. I couldn’t help but tear up at so many parts.

the reason I’m reviewing this book again is because it’s a new edition, with bonus stuff, so I thought I may as well do a new post and not just reblog my old review. At the back of this edition there’s actually more new content than I’d anticipated – I loved reading John Green’s articulately answered Q&A, thought my favourite thing was the deleted scenes. There were original drafts of scenes such as the opening pages of the book, where Miles is saying goodbye to his parents and starting at Culver Creek school. I found it so fascinating to see how John Green’s writing developed over many rewrites.

Overall, I really recommend Looking For Alaska, especially this copy – whether you haven’t read it before and want to start reading Green’s books (Warning, does not come with tissues, you must purchase these yourself.) or whether you’re a long-time fan, as the new things included are really great! Also, hai, gorgeous shiny cover. The story is one of those rare ones that touches you in a way not many can. It rips your heart to pieces then puts it back together, over and over. The characters never truly leave you – the whole book is just unforgettable.

My Rating:

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