Last month I posted about Daniela Sacerdoti’s new book Dreams. Thanks to Daniela’s lovely publishers I’m very excited to be able to share the first chapter of Dreams with you to get your Monday off to a good start!  Dreams is out now as an ebook and will be released in paperback on 17th May. Happy reading

Dreams Chapter One

I heard about The Circle for the first time last week and it went straight on to my wish list. A Swedish bestseller, this is the first book in a new paranormal trilogy where seven teenage witches are hunted by an ancient evil. The Circle will be released on 7th June and I can’t wait!

One night, when a strange red moon fills the sky, six school girls find themselves in an abandoned theme park, drawn there by a mysterious force. A student has just been found dead. Everyone suspects suicide. Everyone – except them.

In that derelict fairground an ancient prophecy is revealed. They are The Chosen Ones, a group of witches, bound together by a power, one which could destroy them all. But they soon learn that despite their differences they need each other in order to master the forces that have been awakened within them.

High school is now a matter of life and death. Because the killing has only just begun.

Acknowledging that she was different from everyone else wasn’t difficult for Wendy Everly – she’d always felt like an outsider. But a new world and new family is a hard for any girl to accept easily. Leaving behind the mysterious country of her birth, she is determined to fit back into normal life. But the world she’s left behind won’t let her go that easily.

Kidnapped and imprisoned by her true family’s enemies, Wendy soon learns that the lines between good and evil aren’t as defined as she thought. And those things she’d taken for granted may have been lies all along. With the help of the dangerously attractive Loki, she escapes back to the safety of Förening – only to be confronted by a new threat.

It’s time to make a choice – can she put aside her personal feelings for the sake of her country? Torn between duty and love she must make a choice that could destroy her one chance at true happiness.

Torn is the second book in Amanda Hocking’s best-selling Trylle trilogy which is being released for the first time in paperback in the UK this year. As I said in my review of Switched, I love the covers for this series and the cover picture on the left really doesn’t do this one justice. Those leaves and Amanda’s name are all picked out in shiny red in the paperback version and it’s just gorgeous!

The story in Torn follows on straight away from the ending of Switched as Wendy tries to escape from her newly discovered Trylle life and go back to the life she knew before. But of course Wendy can’t escape that easily and in an action packed start to the novel falls into the enemy Vittra hands. I liked that the story got straight into the action and introduced a whole new dimension to Wendy’s world very quickly. Through Wendy’s capture and imprisonment we learn a lot about the Vittra and there are a number of great twists to the plot that I wasn’t expecting. Torn presents the other side of the story depicted in Switched and adds a lot of detail to Wendy’s background and the Trylle world as a whole. After a promising and action packed start, I found the middle section of the book a little slow, however, the final third of the book had me racing though the pages again and overall this was another unputdownable book for me.

I was pleased to see many familiar faces from Switched but also enjoyed the additional characters introduced; particularly those on the Vittra side of the story. They made a good contrast to the inhabitants of Forening and I was surprised when Hocking added another possible love interest into the mix with bad boy Loki. The romance side to Torn is excellent and for me is one of the most gripping elements of the story. The events and obligations that Wendy faces in this novel take Wendy’s relationships in a direction that I didn’t see coming and there is one revelation in particular that totally surprised me – I love it when a book does that!

I often worry that a sequel or second book in a series won’t live up to the first, particularly if I enjoyed the first a lot. Thankfully, Torn delivers and is equally as good as Switched, moving the story on and setting the scene perfectly for the final novel, Ascend. There are so many questions left unanswered that it had  me wishing I could read Ascend right now. Thankfully I havn’t got long to wait until the final novel is out next week!

4/5

Torn is out now and I’d like to thank publisher Tor (Pan Macmillan) for sending me a review copy.

You can find out more about Amanda Hocking and her books on her blog at: http://www.amandahocking.blogspot.com/ and at http://www.panmacmillan.com/author/amandahocking where you can find an extract from Switched.

Dreams is the first book in the new Sarah Midnight Trilogy by Daniela Sacerdoti. I’m very intrigued by the synopsis and trailer and think the cover is great too. Dreams sounds quite different to anything I’ve read recently and I’m looking forward to reading it soon.

‘You’d never think it could happen to you. You’d never think that one day you’d stand in a graveyard, rain tapping on a sea of black umbrellas, watching your parents being lowered into the earth, never to come back. It’s happening to me. They said it was an accident. Only I know the truth. My parents were hunters, like their parents and grandparents before them, hundreds of years back, scores of ancestors behind me, fulfilling the same call. I must follow in their footsteps. I am the only one left to keep the promise. I can never give up the fight, this fight that has been handed down to me, thrust upon my unwilling shoulders. I’d rather be buried with my parents, my brave, fierce father and mother, who lived and died by the Midnight motto: Don’t Let Them Roam.’ 

Ever since her thirteenth birthday, seventeen-year-old Sarah Midnight’s dreams have been plagued by demons – but unlike most people’s nightmares, Sarah’s come true. Her dreams guide her parents’ hunt as Sarah remains in bed, terrified but safe, sheltered from the true horrors of the Midnight legacy. But all this is about to change. After the murder of her parents, she is cruelly thrust into a secret world of unimaginable danger as she is forced to take up their mission. Alone and unprepared for the fight that lies before her, Sarah must learn how to use the powers she’s inherited and decide whom to trust before it’s too late…

Dreams is released on 17th May and it’s already been chosen as a booksellers choice for Waterstones in Scotland for May!

You can find out more about Daniela and her writing on her website at: http://danielasacerdoti.com/en/

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.

It’s been a while since I read anything in the fantasy genre so when I got an email offering a review copy of James Treadwell’s debut novel, Advent, I jumped at the chance. Advent is the first book in a trilogy about the return of magic to the world as we know it. It’s an ambitious and detailed debut based around the Faust legend and certainly made a change from my recent reading being the first book by a male author and featuring a male lead that I’ve read this year!

Advent is a dark and complex fantasy novel that had me quite spooked on a number of occasions as I read. As regular readers will know, I’m a bit of a wimp when it comes to scary books so fantasy lovers will probably laugh at me but Treadwell’s fantastic line in cliffhanger chapter endings and chilling turns of events had me nervous to turn the page at times and if I’d been watching Advent as a film, I’d have probably been hidden behind a cushion for a large part of it. With a cast that includes witches, warlocks, spirits, mermaids and some horrifying animals set against the backdrop of an out of the way corner of Cornwall, I thought the imagery of the book was impressive and I loved the way Treadwell used the forces of nature to show the impact of the magic coming back to the world.

Advent follows fifteen year old Gavin as he heads to Cornwall to spend time with his Aunt Gwen while his parents are abroad. It’s soon clear that Gav isn’t the average teenager although he desperately wishes he was. Gav has a companion that only he can see. He’s named her Mrs Grey and has learned not to mention her for fear of making his strained relationship with his parents worse. Advent is very much a journey of self discovery for Gav as he finds himself at the centre of an epic adventure when his Aunt fails to meet him at the station and he ends up alone in her cottage on the mysterious Pendurra estate.

The first half of the novel switches between Gav’s days in Cornwall in the present and the story of ‘the greatest Magus in the World’ set in the 1500′s. The two separate story strands run for the first half of the novel and the historical narrative works backwards from a December night in 1537 to explain the Magus’s quest for magical power. This part of the book raises more questions than it gives answers and at times I found myself a little lost as I was reading, wondering what was going on. Treadwell has clearly done his research into magical legends and the detail of the Magus’s work is excellent but I didn’t understand all of the references to legend and folklore.

Despite being over 400 pages long, the action in Advent all takes place in a very short time period of just days and the story in the present really picks up in the second half of the novel with a lot of pace and apocalyptic events. Although we get to know Gav best as the central character, there are two other teenage characters that caught my interest. Marina is the daughter of the owner of Pendurra and as we meet her has led a completely sheltered life, never leaving the estate and not really knowing anything of the outside world. As with Gav, it’s clear from the beginning that Marina is ‘different’ and I was drawn to her story; I hope we see more of her in the next book. Likewise, Marina’s friend Horace, who played a much bigger part in the story than I expected and looks set to have a strong role in future.

As I read Advent I found myself wondering where the trilogy would go after book one but I would never have guessed the ending which introduces a whole new set of characters and really opens up the story; a very clever move by Mr Treadwell which has left me very eager to get my hands on book two!

4/5

Advent is out now in hardback and as an ebook. I’d like to thank Katy from Hodder & Stoughton for sending me a review copy.

You can find out more about James Treadwell and his writing on his website at: http://www.jamestreadwell.com/

You can read the first chapter of Advent on the Hodder & Stoughton website

Jo is a 16-year-old paparazzo who’s desperate to get out of the game, but needs the money.  When she’s offered a week-long job with fantastic pay, it seems like the perfect solution to her problems.  But this particular job is low and dirty and will mean betraying the only star she’s ever liked…

Jo or Zo Jo as she is know on the paparazzi circuit is a streetwise sixteen year old living in LA. Jo trades on her youth and ability to look younger than she is to get into places that the average paparazzo can’t and as a result has achieved a certain level of fame and notoriety for getting the shots that no-one else can get. In Shooting Stars we meet Jo as she’s offered the chance of a lifetime to gain access to a hot male star in an undercover assignment which will allow her to earn the  money she needs to go to study towards her dream career as a portrait photographer.

I liked Jo a lot; she’s independent, strong-minded, feisty and fun. The novel launches straight into the action as she sneaks into the venue of the moment in pursuit of teen music star Ned Hartnett. I did find myself wondering how she got away with running all over town in pursuit of the rich and famous (I don’t think my parents would have let me do that at 16!) but Jo’s Dad is a famous paparazzo too and fully supportive of his daughter’s after school job. Both the glam and nasty sides of Jo’s job are shown in full as the novel progressed and I was in turn impressed by Jo’s ability to hold her own in a largely male domain and surprised by the life she leads and the impact that her photography has. Shooting Stars will certainly make you think about the relationship between the famous, the media and the public.

As Jo finds herself stalking Ned undercover at a retreat in Boston, the story becomes even more interesting as she is forced to confront some of her own demons and faces a major dilemma about the task she’s been set as her friendship with Ned deepens. But all isn’t what it seems and it soon becomes clear that Jo isn’t the only one with secrets. I loved the twist in the story and thought it was really nicely done and not entirely what I was expecting. The romance element to the novel is so cute and I also thought the supporting cast were good believable characters and I especially liked failed ballerina Katrina. The novel raises a number of deeper issues that I’m sure many readers will empathise with; feelings of failure, difficult relationships with parents, bereavement and loss and also touches on mental health issues, striking a good balance between the serious and lighter moments.

Allison Rushby gets extra kudos from me for ending her novel with a fab epilogue that rounds up what happened to the main characters after the main story ended – I love knowing what happens next to the characters I read about, so thank you Allison! Shooting Stars is the first of Allison’s novels that I’ve read and I really enjoyed her style of storytelling. I’m very excited that she is currently working on an e-serial set in 1920′s London called The Honourables, where triplets, estranged since birth, are suddenly brought together and forced to compete for their inheritance! Look out for the first installment in the summer.

Last year I chose my five most anticipated chick lit reads. This year I’ve gone for bigger and better with ten titles I can’t wait to read – there are so many great books coming out in 2012! Some of the later books don’t have much detail yet but I’ll update this post as and when more information becomes available.

I’ve Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella (Bantam February)

After reading all of the Shopaholic books as a blogging challenge a couple of years ago, I’m a big fan of Sophie’s books. I’m looking forward to meeting new characters in her latest standalone novel.

I’ve lost it. The only thing in the world I wasn’t supposed to lose. My engagement ring. It’s been in Magnus’s family for three generations. And now, the very same day his parents are coming, I’ve lost it. The very same day. Do not hyperventilate, Poppy. Stay positive!!

A couple of glasses of bubbly with the girls at a charity do and Poppy’s life has gone into meltdown. Not only has she lost her engagement ring, but in the panic that followed, she’s lost her phone too. As she paces shakily round the hotel foyer she spots an abandoned phone in a bin. Finders keepers! Now she can leave a number with the hotel staff. It was meant to be!

Except the phone’s owner, businessman Sam Roxton, doesn’t agree. He wants his phone back, and doesn’t appreciate Poppy reading all his messages and wading into his personal life. As Poppy juggles wedding preparations, phone messages and hiding her left hand from Magnus and his parents, can things get any more tangled?

The Out of Office Girl by Nicola Doherty (Headline, March)

This sounds like a fun debut and perfect summer read!

From London ….

Alice Roberts is having a rubbish summer. She’s terrified of her boss, her career is stalling, and she’s just been dumped – by text message. But things are about to change …

… to Italy

When her boss Olivia is taken ill, Alice is sent on the work trip of a lifetime: to a villa in Sicily, to edit the autobiography of Hollywood bad boy Luther Carson. But it’s not all yachts, nightclubs and Camparis. Luther’s arrogant agent Sam wants him to ditch the book. Luther himself is gorgeous, charming and impossible to read. There only seems to be one way to get his attention, and it definitely involves mixing business with pleasure. Alice is out of the office, and into deep trouble …

… with love

Welcome to Rosie Hopkins’ Sweetshop of Dreams by Jenny Colgan (Sphere March)

I love the cover for this book and it sounds like a lovely story.

Rosie Hopkins is about to face major upheaval. Her elderly aunt Lilian – feisty, independent Aunt Lily who never talked about her past – needs her help, so Rosie is moving to the depths of the countryside for a few months to look after her. Plus Rosie will be away from Gerard, the man she hopes to settle down with soon, and they’ll miss each other dreadfully . . . won’t they? Lilian Hopkins has spent her life running Lipton’s village sweetshop, through wartime and family feuds. As she struggles with the idea that it might finally be time to sell up, she also wrestles with the secret history hidden behind the jars of beautifully coloured sweets. And the longer Rosie and Lilian spend together, the more they realise they can learn from each other . . .

White Wedding by Milly Johnson (Simon and Schuster, April)

I read my first Milly Johnson book last year and loved it so am very much looking forward to her next offering!

It’s the day they’ve always dreamed about. But will it turn out to be a nightmare …?

Bel is in the midst of planning her perfect wedding when disaster strikes and everything she thought she knew is turned on its head. Can she hold it all together and, with the help of her friends, and a mysterious man she meets unexpectedly, turn disaster into triumph?

Bel’s best friend, ice-cream parlour owner Violet, is engaged to Glyn, who is besotted by her although Violet fell out of love with him long ago. But however trapped she feels in the relationship, she can’t quite say the words, ‘I don’t want to marry you anymore.’ Then, just when she’s about to give up and resign herself to married life, she finds love in the most surprising of places. Will duty rule her heart or will she allow herself to be swept off her feet?

Their childhood friend Max was planning a quick registry office do with her fiance Stuart until she sees a TV programme about traveller brides and becomes determined to have the most extravagantly glitzy wedding ever. But in all the excitement has she lost sight of what’s really important? Does she want the wedding more than she wants the groom?

And as all three friends find the dress of their dreams at the White Wedding bridal shop, its owner, the lovely Freya, guarantees that her gowns will bring them happiness – though maybe not quite in the way they expected …

The Charm Bracelet by Melissa Hill (Hodder, May)

I have a charm bracelet that I add charms to, to mark important events in my life so I love the premise for this story – it sounds like another gripping read from Melissa.

Every charm bracelet tells a story and Holly O’Neill knows this better than most.

Years ago, at a difficult time in her life, a silver bracelet in a pretty wrapped box was delivered anonymously to her, a single charm attached. Some time later, another mysterious charm appeared, and the same thing happened many times over the years. Each charm proved to be significant in her life, as if her unnamed benefactor understood she needed some kind of talisman to help her through challenging times.

Since then, she has added her own charms – special reminders of the most important events in her life. Her bracelet makes memories tangible – spelling out the nuances of cherished moments through the shorthand of each tiny charm. For this reason, Holly’s charm bracelet is her most prized possession.

So when one day, she stumbles across a bracelet that somebody else has lost, she recognises a lifetime spelt out through the very different charms, and knows she must try to reunite it with its owner. In order to try and track this person down, she uses each charm to help discover more about them.

But as Holly gradually begins to piece together the details of this person’s life, her quest leads her somewhere she never expected.

One Perfect Summer by Paige Toon (Simon and Schuster May)

My favourite chick lit author – can’t wait to get my hands on this book!

‘Do you still love him?’ Every second of every minute of every hour of every day…Alice is18 and about to start university while Joe’s life is seemingly going nowhere. A Dorset summer, a chance meeting, and the two of them fall into step as if they have known each other forever. But their idyll is shattered, suddenly, unexpectedly. Alice heads off to Cambridge and slowly picks up the pieces of her broken heart. Joe is gone; she cannot find him. When she catches the attention of Lukas – gorgeous, gifted, rich boy Lukas – she is carried along by his charm, swept up in his ambitious plans for a future together. Then Joe is there, once more, but out of reach in a way that Alice could never have imagined. Life has moved on, the divide between them is now so great. Surely it is far too late to relive those perfect summer days of long ago?

Summer Daydreams by Carole Matthews (Sphere, May)

This really appeals to me as someone who is always trying to juggle family, work and a million other things!

What if you had always dreamed of something more…? Nell McNamara has a happy life: her boyfriend Olly adores her, their four-year-old daughter Petal is the centre of their world and Nell has a steady job in the local chip shop. When the chippy needs a makeover, Nell jumps at the chance to unleash the creativity fizzing inside her. Inspired by what she can achieve – and encouraged by the best friends a girl can have – Nell is determined to try something new and starts making her own line of must-have handbags, which are soon flying off the shelves! It seems Nell’s dreams are finally coming true, but her success doesn’t come without a price. Before too long, Nell has to ask herself if it’s really possible to have it all… Full of fun, love and laughter, soak up the sunshine with Summer Daydreams.

I Heart London by Lindsey Kelk (Harper, June)

The fifth in the I Heart Series sees Angela back in London!

Angela’s visa has expired and it looks as though she’s going to have to set foot again on home turf where further romantic trouble awaits. She has to face the ex-boyfriend she ran out on, her best friend’s new baby, and her mum. Is she now a New York girl through and through or can London win her heart again?

When I Fall in Love by Miranda Dickinson (Avon, November)

No synopsis for this one yet but I’ve loved all of Miranda’s book so far and am eagerly anticipating this one!

From Notting Hill to New York… Actually by Ali McNamara (Sphere, November)

Scarlett goes to New York – yay!!

Are your favourite authors on my list? Which books are you looking forward to reading this year?

In the second part of my ‘hot picks’ for 2012 I’ve chosen the paranormal and fantasy books that I’m most looking forward to reading. Are your favourites on the list?

Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood (Razorbill, March)

I love witch stories and am looking forward to this new YA series. I’ve shown the US cover here – isn’t it lovely?

Our mother was a witch too, but she hid it better.

I miss her.

To me, the magic feels like a curse. According to the Brothers, it’s devil-sent. Women who can do magic-they’re either mad or wicked. So I will do everything in my power to protect myself and my sisters. Even if it means giving up my life – and my true love.

Because if the Brothers discover our secret, we’re destined for the asylum, or prison . . . or death.

Romance, magic, and an age-old prophecy.

The Reckoning by Alma Katsu (Century, June)

The second book in The Taker series – no synopsis yet for this immortal love story but the series has undergone a striking cover change for this release!

666 Park Avenue by Gabriella Pierce (Canvas, June)

I’m very excited about this series which definitey falls into the chick lit side of paranormal – it sounds brilliant.

Welcome to New York City, where the socialites are witches Ever since fabulously wealthy Malcolm Doran walked into her life and swept her off her feet, Jane Boyle has been living a fairy-tale. When he proposes, Jane can’t believe her incredible luck and decides to leave her Paris-based job as a fledgling architect and make a new start with Malcolm in New York. But when Malcolm introduces Jane to the esteemed Doran clan, one of Manhattan’s most feared and revered families, Jane’s fairy-tale takes a darker turn. Soon everything she thought she knew about the world-and herself-is upended. Now Jane must struggle with newfound magical abilities and the threat of those who will stop at nothing to get them. What if your mother-in-law turned out to be an evil, cold-blooded witch … literally?

Shadow of the Night by Deborah Harkness (Headline, July)

The long awaited sequel to A Discovery of Witches. Enough said

Together we lifted our feet and stepped into the unknown.

Shortly after Diana Bishop and Matthew Clairmont timewalk to London, 1590, they discover that the past may not provide a safe haven after all. Reclaiming his former identity as poet and spy Matthew Roydon, the vampire falls back in step with a group of radicals known as the School of Night who share dangerous ideas about God, science, and man. Many of his friends are unruly daemons – the creative minds of the age who walk the fine line between genius and madness – including playwright Christopher Marlowe and mathematician Thomas Harriot.  Matthew, himself, is expected to continue to spy for Queen Elizabeth, which puts him in close contact with London’s cutthroat underworld.

Together, Matthew and Diana scour the bookstalls and alchemical laboratories of London where they follow the elusive trail of Ashmole 782 – and search for the witch who will teach Diana to control her powers.

Wake by Amanda Hocking (Pan Macmillan, Autumn)

Having just read Switched I’m looking forward to reading the first in Amanda’s new Watersong series.

Beautiful. Fearless. Dangerous. They’re the kind of girls you envy; the kind of girls you want to hate. Strangers in town for the summer, Penn, Thea, and Lexi have caught everyone’s attention, including the eye of practical Harper. But it’s her sister, Gemma, they’ve chosen to be part of their group.

Sixteen-year-old Gemma seems to have it all – carefree, pretty, and falling in love with the boy next door. But her greatest passion has always been the water. She craves late night swims under the stars, where she can be alone yet belong to the sea. Lately she’s had company. Penn, Thea, and Lexi spend their nights dancing, singing, and partying on the cove–and one night Gemma joins them. When she wakes up groggy on the beach the next morning, she knows something has changed.

Suddenly Gemma is stronger, faster, and more beautiful than ever. As she uncovers the truth about her new mythical powers, Gemma is forced to choose between staying with those she loves or entering a dark world brimming with unimaginable secrets.

The Water Witch by Carol Goodman (Ebury, September)

No synopsis yet for this book which is the second novel in the Fairwick Chronicles series. I loved Incubus and can’t wait to find out what happens to Callie next.

Wendy Everly knew she was different the day her mother tried to kill her and accused her of having been switched at birth. Although certain she’s not the monster her mother claimed she is – she does feel that she doesn’t quite fit in . . .

The new girl in High School, she’s bored and frustrated by her small town life – and then there’s the secret that she can’t tell anyone. Her mysterious ability – she can influence people’s decisions, without knowing how, or why . . .

When the intense and darkly handsome newcomer Finn suddenly turns up at her bedroom window one night – her world is turned upside down. He holds the key to her past, the answers to her strange powers and is the doorway to a place she never imagined could exist. Förening, the home of the Trylle. Everything begins to make sense to Wendy. Among the Trylle, she is not just different, but special. But what marks her out as chosen for greatness in this world also places her in grave danger. With everything around her changing, Finn is the only person she can trust. But dark forces are conspiring – not only to separate them, but to see the downfall everything that Wendy cares about. The fate of Förening rests in Wendy’s hands, and the decisions she and Finn make could change all their lives forever . . .

My new year has started with cover love; Amanda Hocking’s Trylle Trilogy has been beautifully packaged with two sets of covers to choose from (Adult and Young Adult versions), all of which are gorgeous. Many of you will have already heard of Amanda Hocking but for those who haven’t; she self-published her first book less than a year ago and has now sold over a million ebooks so I was very intrigued to see what all the fuss is about!

Switched is the story of seventeen year old Wendy who lives with her Aunt Maggie  and brother Matt after her mother tried to kill her when she was six. Not surprisingly, after a traumatic childhood, Wendy has ‘issues’ and finds it hard to fit in. As a consequence, her family has moved around a lot and as we meet her, she is once again the new girl in school. The story is told from Wendy’s point of view and I enjoyed that she knows she’s different but as the novel starts, doesn’t really understand why although she’s beginning to notice that she has some special abilities. Wendy finds herself drawn to mysterious new boy Finn and it soon becomes clear that he holds the key to finding out who she really is.  Switched is predominantly the story of Wendy’s discovery that she is a Trylle and what this means for her future. I enjoyed following Wendy on her voyage of discovery and despite her supposed ‘issues’, I found her a likeable character, if a little immature for her almost eighteen years.

If you’d told me I’d be so gripped by a book about Trolls I probably wouldn’t have believed you but I couldn’t put this book down. I can certainly see why it has been a huge hit. The story gives an original spin to the Troll folklore and feels fresh and magical at the same time. As a mum I wondered if I could enjoy a story about babies being switched at birth and if I’m completely honest, that part of the story didn’t sit very well with me at the beginning but as the book progressed the ‘switch’ element was explored from a number of angles with Wendy often voicing my thoughts about the changeling practice and and I found myself more intrigued as to how it would all play out than anything else.

The romance element to the story is good with several possible love interests popping up and dramatic events when Wendy realises who she really wants to be with! Hocking has created a detailed fantasy world in the Forening, with its own royalty and strict hierarchies. She has also created the requisite darker Trylle, The Vittra who are determined to use Wendy to thier own ends. Switched is fast paced and at just under 300 pages, the story has a huge amount packed into it meaning that I didn’t want to put it down. Amanda and the Trylle have a new fan in me and I can’t wait to add Torn and Ascend to my shelves in March and April!

4/5

Switched is released today and I’d like to thank Bea at Thinkjam for sending me a review copy.

You can find out more about Amanda Hocking and her books on her blog at: http://www.amandahocking.blogspot.com/ and at http://www.panmacmillan.com/author/amandahocking where you can find an extract from Switched.

“I’ve left some clues for you.
If you want them, turn the page.
If you don’t, put the book back on the shelf, please.”

Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on a favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. But is Dash that right guy? Or are Dash and Lily only destined to trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations across New York? Could their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions? Or will they be a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions?

I actually read this book on Christmas Eve last year but I didn’t get chance to review it. It is such a fun and romantic Christmas read though that I had to review it this year. Dash and Lily is co-written by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan, authors of hits that include Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist which has been made into a film. This is the first of their novels that I’ve read but I love the way their writing partnership works.

The story is told from the alternating perspectives of the two main characters. Both tell their tale in the first person and both are immediately very real and vibrant characters that jump off the page. They are also complete opposites, something which is brought out immediately in their feelings towards the festive season; Dash hates Christmas, dismissing its commercialism, the crowds and schmaltz. Lily on the other hand loves it so much so that she’s set up her own carol group

Given their differences and the huge city they live in, Dash and Lily might never have met had it not been for the red notebook left in their favourite bookshop (the famous Strand Bookstore). The story starts on December 21st and runs through to New Years Eve with Dash and Lily taking an entertaining romp through New York city connected (at least initially) only by the red notebook where they construct an elaborate treasure hunt leaving clues for each other, swapping notes and daring each other into all manner of often humorous escapades across the city (Dash’s trip to Macy’s being one of my favourite parts).

Aided by a lovely cast of family and friends both young and old, Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares is a sweet offbeat romantic comedy. I especially loved Lily’s wealthy Great-aunt Ida with her pearls of wisdom. But as much as this is a book about a potential romance between two New York teenagers it is also a book about books, words and language and I loved the way they were worked into the story which left me wanting to wander the aisles of the Strand bookstore again as soon as possible!

I love books and stories that have an element of serendipity or fate to them and Dash and Lily has this in buckets. It’s also set in my favourite city so there’s a lot to love about it for me. This is a young adult book but I’d recommend it to readers and book lovers of all ages looking for a quick quirky and above all romantic Christmas read and I hope to read more by both authors in the future.

4/5

You can find out more about David Levithan and his books at: http://www.davidlevithan.com/

You can find out more about Rachel Cohn and her books at: http://www.rachelcohn.com/

Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares is available in paperback (link goes to amazon.co.uk)