The Rising Storm by Ceri A Lowe - Cover Reveal

Today I am proud to be part of the cover reveal team for an upcoming YA dystopian novel, The Rising Storm by Ceri A Lowe. I will also have a review around publication date as part of the blog tour, so keep your eye open for more news about that in the future. So first, about the book...

The Rising Storm

What if the end of the world was just the beginning?
15-year-old Alice Davenport was a loner and an outcast before the Storms swept away everything she knew. Saved from the ravaged remains of London by the mysterious and all-powerful Paradigm Industries, her fierce independence and unique skills soon gain her recognition from the highest levels of command. But their plans to rebuild civilisation from scratch mean destroying all remnants of the past – no matter what, or who, gets left behind.

Alice must decide if she will fight for the old world, or the new…

Decades later, 15-year-old Carter Warren is woken from the Catacombs after years of cryonic sleep. He’s determined to do whatever it takes to climb the ranks to Controller General - until he realises the Industry’s control methods have become harsher than ever. The Barricades make sure nothing from the Deadlands can get in to the Community – and no one can get out. And a shocking discovery about his own family causes Carter to question everything he’s ever known…

As Alice becomes entangled in the Industry’s plan for the future, and Carter delves into the secrets of his past, they must make sacrifices which threaten to tear them apart. And both of them are forced to confront an impossible question…

Would you dare to risk it all for the perfect world?

I am so excited to pick this book up! Now onto the cover...

How gorgeous is this cover?! Also I'm a huge fan of purple so the colour really speaks to me personally! Let me know what you think and whether you'll be picking The Rising Storm up at publication. 

About The Author

When Ceri isn’t writing, she’s a self-employed project management consultant specialising in financial services. She lives in Bristol, England and has various obsessions including all things Spanish, renovating houses, travelling and her dog, Pablo.

In the last few years she’s won the Exeter Short Story Award, Global Short Stories annual prize, the Flash 500 Award, the Story Star Publishing Prize and the Writers’ Forum Short Story competition

Author Spotlight - Karen King

Today on Life Of A Nerdish Mum I am happy to welcome Karen King to my blog, Karen is the author of many books and today I am shining a spotlight on her YA novels. 

Hi Karen. You’ve written a wide variety of books in many different genres, most of them are for younger children. What made you decide to write YA (Young Adult) and what was the inspiration behind your two YA books, Perfect Summer and Sapphire Blue?

Hi Helen. Thanks so much for hosting me. Yes, most of my books have been for younger children, although I write romance novels too. I didn’t make a conscious decision to write YA but the story plots I was working on were more suitable for this genre and my characters were teenagers so YA it was. 😊

What inspired you to write Perfect Summer?

Don’t be fooled by the title as this is rather a gritty book.  It’s set about thirty years in the future when society is so totally obsessed by perfection that plastic surgery (now called body enhancement) is the norm and anyone who is slightly different, or disabled in any way is looked down upon. Morgan, the heroine, has a friend called Summer who is beautiful, rich, has cool parents and a seemingly perfect life whereas Morgan isn’t so beautiful or rich and her little brother Josh has Down’s syndrome.  Morgan and her family get a lot of hassle from the Ministry who want them to put Josh in a Residential Learning Centre, where most disabled children are sent, but Morgan’s family refuse. Then one day Josh goes missing and the authorities aren’t interested so Morgan and Summer decide to investigate. They, along with another teenager called Jamie whose little sister, Holly, has gone missing too, uncover a sinister plot involving the kidnapping of disabled children and find themselves in danger. Can they find Josh and Holly before it’s too late? Expect a few shocks and to shed a tear or two.

I got the idea for this story when I read an article about girls as young as four and five being worried that they were too fat or too ugly. That’s really sad. I started to think how far this obsession with perfection would go, would it get so bad that people who didn’t have perfect looks would be shunned from society? And how would people with disabilities be treated? I hope people will read it and start to question whether people should be judged by their looks and that girls, in particular, will stop worrying about having perfect looks. The dedication inside the book says ‘For everyone who thinks they aren’t beautiful, thin, clever or good enough. Celebrate your uniqueness. There is only one you.’ That’s the message I want to get across.

Watch The Trailer

Buy Perfect Summer

Sapphire Blue is very different to Perfect Summer, isn’t it? What was the inspiration behind this title?

Sapphire Blue is set in the afterlife and is based on the concept of true love being eternal.  Sapphire and her boyfriend Will are killed in the first chapter but love each other so much they search for each other. They find that the after-world is split into seven zones, each named after the colour of the rainbow. They each believe the other one to have been taken by the Soul Catchers to Red, a zone where all your nightmares come true. They love each other so much that they go to Red to find each other. I don’t want to give away too much of the plot but it’s a mix of romance and horror – the first time I’ve ever written horror, actually.  It’s not my usual sort of story but it’s the one that I’ve carried in my head for seven years so I hope the readers enjoy it.

The phrase ‘I’ll love you forever’ was the springboard for this idea. I believe that we move onto an afterlife when we die, slipping back into the world we came from, and that we meet family and friends again, that we can grow and process. A story idea of two teenagers getting separated in the afterlife started to form in my head. I wrote a brief synopsis of the story and sample pages and sent them to a publisher I worked with who were planning on expanding their children’s fiction list. The editor loved the idea right away and told me they wanted it when they brought out their YA list. A couple of years passed during which I wrote several other books and added to Sapphire Blue now and again. Then the publisher told me they’d had to shelve their fiction list so I put it away. A friend who’d seen the original chapters persuaded me to keep writing it up. I got about half way through and shelved it again.  Then another writer friend read it and persuaded me to finish it. So finally I did and Solstice Publishing USA offered to publish it. I love the cover of the book, it’s perfect for the story I think.

Watch The Trailer

Buy Sapphire Blue

About The Author

Karen King is a multi-published author of children's books and romantic fiction. She has had 120 children's books published, four romantic novels and several short stories for women's magazines. Her first YA novel, Perfect Summer was runner up in the Red Telephone Books YA Novel 2011 competition. Her second YA, Sapphire Blue, was declared 'The best YA book out there right now' by an Ind'Tales magazine reviewer. Her latest romance novels with Accent Press are The Cornish Hotel by the Sea and I do?... or do I?

In addition, Karen has written several short stories for women’s magazine and worked for many years on children’s magazines such as Thomas the Tank Engine and Winnie the Pooh as well as the iconic Jackie magazine.

When she isn’t writing, Karen likes travelling, watching the ‘soaps’ and reading. Give her a good book and a box of chocolates and she thinks she’s in Heaven.

Connect With Karen King

Website - http://www.karenking.net/

Twitter - @karen_king

Facebook - Karen King Romance Author Page

Facebook - Karen King YA Author Page

Pinterest - https://uk.pinterest.com/karenkingauthor/

Instagram - @karenkingauthor

Twelve Days And Twelve Books Of Christmas - Day 8

I can't believe I am on day 8 and this is all going to be over in a few days! I really hope people have been enjoying this look back of my personal stand out books from each month this year. 

Day 8 - August Book - Beetlebrow by Ben Parker

Beetlebrow, the first book in the ‘Beetlebrow Trilogy’, is an intricately plotted, emotional and intensely engaging story about two teenage girls, Beetlebrow and Pook, thrown together in a life or death adventure taking place in a sinister, hostile and threatening world. The two will need all their resourcefulness to succeed in a daunting quest: to deliver a cryptic, vital message to the distant eastern city of Dalcratty. 

The growing love Beetlebrow and Pook feel for each other brings them closer together as they confront challenge after challenge, not the least of which is an encounter with the citizens of Essum, whose morality and culture is founded upon interpreting a half-finished painting. 

After you read Beetlebrow, your life will never be quite the same.

My Thoughts

The tag line of "After you read Beetlebrow, your life will never be quite the same" is actually quite true as I still think a lot about the story and the characters and I am really looking forward to the next book in the trilogy which I am hoping will come some time soon in 2017. 

This book took me by surprise as I wasn't entirely sure what to expect when I first picked it up. I fell in love with the main character Beetlebrow and I felt like I was with her on her journey. I thought the world building was excellent as the lands were familiar enough to feel like you knew them but different enough for you to know they weren't real life locations. The desert in particular was particularly brutal and I could feel the heat pouring down on me. 

Beetlebrow also has one of the best descriptions about love that I have read and it has really stuck with me. The basic gist is that there are no words good enough to describe how good it is to be with the person you are in love with, except worded MILES more brilliantly! 

One last thing, I really think that a lot of important representation is included in this book and it was good to see a lot of different things from the usual YA that I read. To see my full review the link is here. 

I'll be back tomorrow with September's book and I still just can't believe how quickly these days are going! Are you all prepared for Christmas yet?

About The Author

I was lucky enough to have Ben as a guest on my Getting To Know... feature so for more information about him, please check out that blog post here. 

Ben Parker was born in Ealing, London in 1983. He started writing as a teenager, inspired by Jack Kerouac's 'On the Road'. His early interest in the Beats took him to Louis-Ferdinand Céline and Patrick White, whose work inspired further writing in literary novels. With an exposure to Alan Moore, Robert E. Howard, and Petronius Arbiter, his interest in adventure stories was piqued, and his work continues to tread the fine line between the excitement and emotion of thrilling, fast-paced "page-turners" and the more esoteric drives of satire and the systems of society evoked by "high-minded" literature.

His first novel, 'Beetlebrow', was inspired by thoughts about past civilisations, and how a person could navigate through worlds where everything is against their success. It is in the portrayal of the filthy, bustling streets of ancient Rome, or the alleyways, "rookeries" and make-shift communities of Victorian London which continue to inspire him towards how a person might survive in such an environment. 

Twelve Days And Twelve Books Of Christmas - Day 1

Today I am kicking off my Twelve Days and Twelve Books Of Christmas feature and I'm going all the way back to January with my first recommendation. I will be covering one book a day for each month of the year up until Christmas Eve just in case you missed my announcement in my November wrap up. 

Day 1 - January Book - Six Of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can't pull it off alone...

A convict with a thirst for revenge
A sharpshooter who can't walk away from a wager
A runaway with a privileged past
A spy known as the Wraith
A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums
A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes 

Kaz's crew are the only ones who might stand between the world and destruction—if they don't kill each other first.

My Thoughts 

When Six Of Crows came out at the back end of 2015 I didn't really pay too much attention as I'd never read the Grisha Trilogy and so it never really came onto my radar. As more and more reviews came out and people were raving about it... and lets be honest the cover is flipping beautiful... I thought I'd at least take a look to see if it was a stand alone and what the synopsis was. I was instantly sold. I've never read a heist book (that I can remember) and the band of motley crew sounded so interesting. Finding out that it could be read without reading the Grisha Trilogy first just sealed the deal and off I went to buy it. It must have meant to be though as the book I bought is signed by Leigh Bardugo!

I would share my review but ahem this is it so far - "Review to follow when I have the words!" Even now I have a struggle not to just gush about how much I loved the world and the characters and that I thought the story was just so exciting. Hopefully this should tell you just how much I enjoyed it. I will be writing a proper review, but I plan on reading it again first so that I can hopefully put into words my feelings and to prepare me for Crooked Kingdom (which I own but I just haven't had the time to read yet so no spoilers if anyone has read it!). Also when I finished reading Six Of Crow I immediately went out and bought the Grisha Trilogy and I'm looking forward to reading them in 2017.

So this is my first recommendation. Have you read Six Of Crows or any Leigh Bardugo? If you have what did you think?

Tomorrow I will have my February book choice, so please come back to check that out!

About The Author

Leigh Bardugo is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Grisha Trilogy (Shadow and Bone, Siege and Storm, and Ruin and Rising). 

She was born in Jerusalem, grew up in Los Angeles, and graduated from Yale University, and has worked in advertising, journalism, and most recently, makeup and special effects. These days, she’s lives and writes in Hollywood where she can occasionally be heard singing with her band. Her new book, Six of Crows, arrives fall 2015.

She would be delighted if you followed her on Twitter, elated if you visited her web site, and downright giddy if you liked Shadow & Bone on Facebook. 

Land Of Midnight Days - Katrina Jack

I was very lucky to receive an e-book copy of Land Of Midnight Days direct from the author, Katrina Jack, in exchange for an honest review. 

Omgoodness this book sucks you right in and doesn't let you out until its done! Land Of Midnight Days is fast paced and action packed. I genuinely couldn't put this book down when I picked it up as I needed to know what happened next. 

Jeremiah the main character is a half Elwyn/half human and a genius with the flute. He is an amazing character, he is broken but he refuses to give up. I think he is also the first mute character that I have come across and it was really interesting watching the struggle of trying to make himself understood when the other person couldn't use sign language. I thought this was all handled extremely well and the author also highlighted the presumptions that people have about differently abled people. I think the description in the synopsis of Jeremiah is perfect, he knows how to survive, but not how to live. 

The characters are all fleshed out really well and there isn't a single character that I didn't find interesting. The author has updated elves, ogres and demons in a really interesting way and in a way to make them work in an urban environment instead of rolling hills and valleys. Apart from Jeremiah, I really liked the characters of Joe, Big Fred and I thought Ezra's character wasn't nice but was interesting. As a parent I just couldn't find anything redeeming in either Sylvan or Zeb as both of them let Jeremiah down in the worst way time and time again. 

The world described is one of violence and of people just trying to survive. It is a very bleak place and one that can be recognised as somewhere we could end up one day. You can feel the hopelessness of the population, though there are spots of light that are shining through the darkness and hopefully they will be the one to succeed by the end of the story. 

I'm not sure why I have never heard of this series before or why more people aren't talking about it. I would 100% recommend it to anyone who loves fantasy or urban fantasy. I will definitely be picking up the rest of the books in the series to find out what happens next to Jeremiah and the other characters. 

I gave this book 5 stars. 

Land Of Midnight Days 

What would you do if your life was filled with fear: hide, run away - or would you fight back? In a city at war with itself, Jeremiah Tully already knows how to survive, now he must learn how to live. Mute from birth, of mixed race heritage and his only possession a charmed flute, Jeremiah tries to discover where his remarkable talent as a musician will take him.

Everyday Monsters - Ellie Robbins

I was very lucky to receive an e-book copy of Everyday Monsters direct from the author Ellie Robbins.

Everyday Monsters follows Taylor, a homeless girl who earns money by participating in a fight club, when one night everything changes.

This book had me hooked right from the beginning, Taylor is such an interesting character and the story really got going right from page one. I loved the opening which consisted of a flash back to when Taylor was a little girl and she first started seeing things that couldn't be real...or could they? It was very intense.

Taylor meets Evan on a night where everything seems to be going wrong and people actually seem to want to kill her. He offers to take her away from living on the streets and all the bad stuff happening to go and live at a special school which takes on and looks after teenagers with talents.

The first part of the story reminded me a bit of X-Men and Xavier's School For Gifted Youngsters, in the fact there is a school for children with talents (or powers) and other parallels but wrapped up in an awesome YA package.

The writing is well done and the characters are all well fleshed out. I really liked Yumiko and Gabriel, but Evan I couldn't make my mind up on. One of my favourite characters is 100% Chester, but I don't want to say anything too much about him as he's a very nice surprise.

Everyday Monsters is a very well put together origin story with just enough action to show off the start of Taylor's powers and as a good set up for a good series of books following this first one. I for one will definitely be waiting eagerly for the next book to see what happens next and to see how Taylor's powers fully come to light, especially regarding one aspect of them which I won't spoil.

I gave this book 5 stars and would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys YA.

Everyday Monsters is currently available to vote for on Kindle Scout, so if you like the sound of it from this review, or enjoy the sample on the Kindle Scout page, give it a nomination! There's currently (at time of publishing this post) 5 days left to vote. The link to check it out is HERE.

Everyday Monsters synopsis

Living shadows are only the beginning.

15 year old Taylor Brock is homeless, and she likes it that way. So when Evan, a boy who controls fire, tells her that she has super powers too, she's skeptical. Evan takes her to The Flagship, a haunted hotel turned boarding school with classes covering everything from math, magic and self-defense (super-powered, of course). When Taylor's friend goes missing and the school's administration turns a blind eye, she has to decide - will she help find her friend or go back to the streets?

Artemis Fowl - Eoin Colfer

With all the excitement of my new feature, I just realised that I hadn't done a review post for mine and F's most recent buddy read which we finished at the end of July, Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer, We've moved onto our next read and we've gone back to the classics, choosing The Count Of Monte Cristo and I have to say since starting reading it, so many people have got in touch with me to say that it is their favourite book! 

Anyhoo onto the review:

Following on from reading Iced (see my review here) we weren't sure if reading another book aimed at younger people was a good idea, but we went ahead anyway. 

Artemis Fowl is I believe somewhere between middle grade (children's) and YA as a genre and I feel sadly that it's one I should have read when I was younger as it just didn't work for me and I love a lot of YA and middle grade books. I think my nearly eight year old will love it, so I will definitely pass it on to her when she's finished her current reads. 

Apart from Butler, I really didn't particularly like any of the characters. Artemis was ok, but he just didn't feel like a fully formed character yet to me. Me and F discussed the possibility in the next books that they age like in Harry Potter and so the characters may become more formed and the story as a whole may become more "grown up" as the series goes along - If this does happen please do let me know! 

The story itself is very well written and cleverly plotted, I just didn't engage as much as I would have liked. I am personally not a fan of fairies having technology as well as magic. To me it takes away some of the "magic" of it all. It was however very clever and I think I would have really enjoyed it when I was younger. 

Overall it was an ok book and I will probably pick up the next book in the future or read with my Nerdling just to see where the story goes from here. 

We started this book on the 18th of July 2016 and finished it on the 29th of July 2016.

I gave this book 3 stars on Goodreads. 

Unmarked Vampire by Belinda Laj

I was incredibly lucky to receive an e-book copy of Unmarked Vampire directly from the author Belinda Laj in exchange for an honest review.

Unmarked Vampire follows the story of Julian Laurent who wakes up in a dungeon and discovers that he is a vampire. The dungeon is the way into the Damned Academy where immortals receive their relevant mark and then the education to deal with their new found needs and talents. There are vampires, demons and angels and they're all ruled over by Blake Night (I adore this name).

The story contains many interesting twists and turns which are well done and though some things are hinted at, you're never fully sure if you're right until the reveal. The world design and how the powers and things work are all very well thought out and well written and I really enjoyed the way each immortal was defined.

The characters are all well developed and are interesting in their own right...except Julian! I so far hate Julian, I know he's been through a lot and he had a lot to take in, but he's just so whiny and child like that it's hard to take him seriously at times. That to me is my only "complaint" about the book as he's supposed to be 19/20 but to me comes across more as an early teen or tween. Genuinely though it doesn't affect the story or take you out the zone while reading, it's just my personal taste.

Unmarked Vampire was originally released in Italian so I was slightly concerned that something might have been lost in the translation, but I was proven wrong and I think the translation was very true to the original story and I didn't feel like I had missed anything.

Overall I really enjoyed Unmarked Vampire and I will look forward to reading more of the Damned Academy books as they come out.

I started this book on the 20th of March 2016 and I finished it on the 2nd of April 2016.
I gave this book 4 stars on Goodreads.