Mouth-Watering Monday is a weekly meme started by myself (Brittany) at Nice Girls Read Books. As book bloggers, we love to admire pretty covers, old and new. This meme takes the guilt out of judging a book by its cover, instead embracing it and showing off our favourite finds of the week!

You can show off one or more of your most mouth-watering covers!

The Debutantes by Cora Harrison
Mirage by Kristi Cook
Surrender by Elana Johnson
Glamorous Illusions by Lisa T. Bergren

Lovely aquas and pinks this week! I absolutely adore the composition of Cora Harrison’s The Debutantes cover. It’s really unique! As for Kristi Cook and Elana Johnson’s books, beautiful and simple – but so striking! I particularly love the mirror/butterfly and the jar/hummingbird! And need I say anything about Glamorous Illusions? The Eiffel Tower says it all!

If you want to join in on the fun:

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Link to your MWM post in the comments if you want to participate!

Title: Fever (The Chemical Garden Trilogy #2)
Author: Lauren DeStefano
Published: February, 2012 by Simon & Schuster
Pages: 341
Rating: ★★★☆☆ 
Purchase: The Book Depository

Rhine and Gabriel have escaped the mansion, but danger is never far behind.

Running away brings Rhine and Gabriel right into a trap, in the form of a twisted carnival whose ringmistress keeps watch over a menagerie of girls. Just as Rhine uncovers what plans await her, her fortune turns again. With Gabriel at her side, Rhine travels through an environment as grim as the one she left a year ago – surroundings that mirror her own feelings of fear and hopelessness.

The two are determined to get to Manhattan, to relative safety with Rhine’s twin brother, Rowan. But the road there is long and perilous – and in a world where young women only live to age twenty and young men die at twenty-five, time is precious. Worse still, they can’t seem to elude Rhine’s father-in-law, Vaughn, who is determined to bring Rhine back to the mansion… by any means necessary.

Final Thoughts: Last year’s debut, Wither, absolutely blew me away, so when I went into Fever I was expecting greatness. Unfortunately, the second novel in The Chemical Garden series does not live up to the first. It wasn’t until the last third of the book that I really started to embrace it. Still, it’s a worthwhile read if you enjoyed the first installment.

Wither left me a jumble of thoughts after closing the last page. I wanted Fever right away, but sadly I had to wait almost a year for it to come out. So naturally, when I was able to pick up Fever and see how Rhine’s story continued, I had high expectations. I was quite disappointed when these expectations weren’t met.

I must clarify that it has nothing to do with the writing. Fever was just as good as Wither with it’s prose and flowery language, but it was the plot itself that left me scratching my head. I don’t want to give too much away for those who haven’t read Fever yet, but a lot of the first portion of the book felt unnecessary. Instead of enjoying a short taste of freedom, Gabriel and Rhine are immediately re-captured in a place which holds brand new horrors for them. Rhine and Gabriel are drugged for a good part of the book, too, and I see a lot of people complaining about this. Fever is rather fragmented in the fact that someone is always ‘out of it’, and we see bits and pieces and a lot of delirious imagery.

We are introduced to some new characters; few which are memorable or even integral to the story. It seems like Rhine and Gabriel are just pressing along until something BIG happens… I mean, it’s inevitable that they’re going to have to deal with Vaughn and Linden before they can really be ‘free’, so as a reader I felt that everything was just leading up to the moment when Rhine would have to go back to the mansion. This disappointed me. I wanted her to enjoy her freedom – however brief – and finally convince me that Gabriel was an interesting character. This didn’t happen. Unfortunatley, Gabriel felt as hollow in this book as he did in Wither.

Saying that, I don’t like Linden. Never have. I can’t fathom why some readers are in love with him (oh, he’s naive, etc! I know that, but I don’t see how that paints him in a positive light).

It wasn’t until the last third of the book (I like to think of Fever in three parts; menagerie, Manhattan and mansion) – Mansion – that things finally started to remind me of why I loved Wither so much. There’s real danger here, with Vaughn, and I think Rhine’s time here showed the reader the severity of the situation again. Compared to this part of the book, Fever just seemed lacking – like it was trying to squash so many events together in order to lead up to this moment.

The cliffhanger was great; as well as some of the things that happened between Rhine, Cecily and Linden. I will be continuing the series when Sever comes out, because I still do enjoy it a great deal, but I just hope that the third installment matches the first. Fever was still an enjoyable read, one that you will like if you enjoyed Wither, but in comparison it felt like a filler.

Recommended to: If you loved Wither, it’s worth continuing to see where the story goes in Fever. If you weren’t a fan of the first, you might want to steer clear of this one.

About the Author Lauren DeStefano was born in New Haven, Connecticut and has never traveled far from the east coast. She received a BA in English from Albertus Magnus College, and has been writing since childhood. When she isn’t writing, she’s screaming obscenities at her Nintendo DS, freaking her cats out with the laser pen, or rescuing thrift store finds and reconstructing them into killer new outfits.

Delirium by Lauren Oliver
Stolen by Lucy Christopher
Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

I thought I’d bring along Lia Habel to the blog to talk about her 2011 debut Dearly, Departed in hopes that it will tide myself and others over until the release of book two, Dearly, Beloved, which is coming out in September this year! Lia talks about writing, steampunk and what’s in store for Bram and Nora!

Q: Your debut novel, ‘Dearly, Departed‘, came out in October. How has the reception been so far with readers? Is being a published author all you expected?
It’s been incredible! It’s so weird to wake up and realize, “Wait, I need to respond to my fan mail.” When I started getting emails that weren’t other writers or bloggers, just people wanting to tell me how much they enjoyed the book – that was wild. I try to keep my expectations a little low, just because I’d rather be accused of being blind than being egotistic, so I’m really grateful for everything good that comes my way. So far the reaction’s been really positive. If any Habel haters exist, I am currently ignorant of the location of their encampment, and I don’t want to know it. I’ve gotten great reviews from established publications, I was actually asked to blurb someone else’s book – it’s awesome.

Q: The book has loads of fun stuff in it! How did you go about fine-tuning each of your cultures – the Steampunk ‘Punks’ and the Neo-Victorian ‘New Victorians’?
They really came to me on the fly. I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of different societies within a steampunk universe, and how they might regard and interact with one another. Specifically, I’ve often found myself thinking, “There has to be an establishment in order to support a punk movement,” and I wanted to directly address that. So I decided to go with the idea that one side uses high technology to replicate a Victorian world, the other side being more interested with issues of authenticity and equality. It brings up a lot of fascinating questions – I can’t wait to open up more of them.

Q: ‘Dearly, Departed‘ also includes a lot of different viewpoints, from which the story is told. Who was the most fun for you to write through the eyes of? And which character surprised you?
I had the most fun writing Nora, definitely – she’s just this little ball of energy, she’s so expressive, it’s impossible to find her boring! Plus she’s thrust into this whole new world, which was sort of the point – I wanted readers to get used to zombies alongside another “new recruit,” as it were. She’s our ticket into this world of awesome dead people, and with her we get to see it through fresh eyes. (Har de har har.) The most surprising character was probably Pam. She’s much more subtle in book one, at least to start out with, but she totally comes into her own. Unfortunately, she has to go through hell to get there.

Q: How many more books are slated for the ‘Gone with the Respiration‘ series? How much work has gone into book two so far? And is there a tentative title?
There’s a sequel, which I’m currently revising – it’s entitled ‘Dearly, Beloved‘, and should be out in September of 2012! I’m not sure how many books there will be overall; I’d like at least five to tell the story the way I think it needs to be told. It’s a huge world, after all, and I feel that all parts of it need to be acknowledged and dealt with.

Q: Can you give us a hint as to where Nora and Bram’s story will head in the next book?
Nooo, it’s a surprise. Though book two is a touch darker than book one. The world’s just changed fundamentally, after all – the dead are now out in the open, everyone’s been moved to New London, and some people aren’t handling it well. I think the ending includes both the best possible thing that could happen, and the worst.

Q: What are some of your personal favourite steampunk or Victorian-inspired books, films or television shows?
I love comics like League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and Ruse, books like The Difference Engine and all the wonderful Victorian classics, and shows like Hell on Wheels (though I wouldn’t label it explicitly steampunk). I also love finding suggestions of steampunk and anachronistic elements in video games – I’m playing Arkham City now, and there’s a whole steampunk world under Gotham! I actually squealed like a schoolgirl when I saw that.

Q: And finally, if there are readers out there who still haven’t picked up ‘Dearly, Departed‘, how would you inspire them to do so?
If you’re not reading it because you’re thinking, “Oh God, not another teen paranormal romance” – it also includes tons of action and comedy, and the heroine doesn’t fall for the hero at first sight. If you’re thinking, “Zombies shouldn’t be corrupted like this – they can’t be heroes!” – there are evil zombies as well, and also, you should watch more zombie movies. I can recommend some. Zombies have been intelligent and tragic from day one. If you just haven’t looked at it yet – well, I’d love it if you did! It has pretty dresses and guns in it!

Title: Wrecked
Author: Anna Davies
Published: May, 2012 by Simon & Schuster
Pages: 321
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ 
Purchase: The Book Depository

Ever since the death of her parents, Miranda has lived on Whym Island, taking comfort in the local folklore, which claims a mysterious sea witch controls the fate of all on the island and in its surrounding waters. Sometimes it’s just easier to believe things are out of your control.

But then a terrible boating accident takes the lives of several of her friends, and Miranda is rescued by a mysterious boy who haunts her dreams. Consumed by guilt from the accident, she finds refuge in late-night swims—and meets Christian, a boy who seems eerily familiar, but who is full of mystery: He won’t tell her where he is from, or why they can only meet at the beach. But Miranda falls for him anyway…and discovers that Christian’s secrets, though meant to protect her, may bring her nothing but harm.

Final Thoughts: My main problem with Wrecked was that I didn’t connect to any of its characters. The romance was rushed, the focus was not on the fantasy aspect of the book (which I wanted) and the main character was just someone I could not sympathize with. It’s a shame, because Wrecked seemed to have it all from the amazing cover and synopsis.

I’m so disappointed that I didn’t enjoy Wrecked – it’s been on my TBR pile since I first heard about it and I had so much fun interviewing Anna Davies, she’s lovely. Like I mentioned, my main problem with the book was the lack of connection I had to the characters. I’m not sure what it was, but the whole book felt rushed and as soon as I thought I was getting a handle on someone or something, it was time to move along again.

Miranda is the female lead and I wished that she hadn’t succumbed to so many YA cliches. Dead parents? Check. Outcast? Check. As I got deeper into the book I found that I felt her to be quite a ‘Mary Sue’ character, and that never bodes well with me. Instead of being strong and being able to deal with things, Miranda would constantly change her mind and go running away crying or yelling, taking the story in all these different directions when it would have been beneficial to focus on just the one scenario. Does that make sense? If Miranda had been a fiercer lead, we could have experienced the story in a different light. The story sorely needed focus on some of its aspects, and Miranda could have helped that along if she would just STAY PUT. She also kept saying; ‘I’m fine’, ‘It’s fine’ and I found myself wondering if Miranda knew how to say anything else but ‘fine’.

Christian… I’m afraid I felt nothing for him. Usually I can muster up something to swoon over, but he felt incredibly bland to me. Although his certain brand of mythology – being a ‘betwixtman’ – could have brought a lot to the story, it wasn’t really explored and Christian was somewhat of a cardboard cutout for Miranda to play with. He rescues Miranda, and that’s where his appeal ends. He ‘fell in love’ with her instantly, wanting to sacrifice his duty/life for her and I just didn’t find it believable at all. I also had a hard time imagining a merman/betwixtman being called ‘Christian’ when they don’t even speak our language. Same goes for his brother, Valentine.

The relationship between Christian and Miranda wasn’t convincing in the slightest. Miranda is still grieving from the accident that killed four of her friends and put her boyfriend, Fletch, into a coma. I found it hard to believe that she was off spending nights on the beach wrapped in some stranger’s embrace when her boyfriend was practically a vegetable in hospital. I can understand the need for Miranda to talk to someone; but to fall in love with them instantly? When you know nothing about them or have barely talked? Christian didn’t offer much in the ‘opening up’ department, so I don’t know how Miranda could grasp much about him as a ‘person’.

Talking about the accident, I want to discuss the fact that none of the anger seemed warranted. Especially from those who were also in the wreck with Miranda – they SAW what happened and knew it wasn’t Miranda’s fault. A little distance or gossip would be expected, but not the outright ‘you’ve done enough, don’t you think?’ or blatant blacklisting. Not to mention Fletch’s parents not allowing Miranda by his bedside when she was his girlfriend. Yes, Miranda was driving the boat at the time of the accident, but I found it completely unbelievable that nobody on the whole island seemed sympathetic when she was injured and distraught herself.

Also, the identity of Sephie was so obvious I wanted to poke Miranda in the eye.

Basically, Wrecked had a LOT of potential but it followed the well-travelled, boring road of predictable YA. If you’re not one for ‘insta-love’, overused cliches, etc. you might want to steer clear of this one.

Recommended to: If, like me, you’ve seen some negative reviews but are curious to judge it for yourself, pick up Wrecked. Hopefully you’ll enjoy it more than I did.

About the Author Anna Davies is an associate editor at Cosmopolitan, has written for the New York Times, New York Teen Vogue, Marie Claire, and other national publications. Wrecked is her first novel. A graduate of Barnard College, she lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Lost Voices by Sarah Porter
Sea Change by Aimee Friedman
Seven Tears into the Sea by Terri Farley

Mouth-Watering Monday is a weekly meme started by myself (Brittany) at Nice Girls Read Books. As book bloggers, we love to admire pretty covers, old and new. This meme takes the guilt out of judging a book by its cover, instead embracing it and showing off our favourite finds of the week!

You can show off one or more of your most mouth-watering covers!

Mesmerized by Julia Crane & Talia Jager
Wander Dust by Michelle Warren
Darkness Before Dawn by J.A. London
Before I Wake by Rachel Vincent

Another four gorgeous covers this week! Mostly girls in pretty dresses. I haven’t read any of these (Still haven’t started on the Soul Screamers series, d’oh!) so let me know if any of these are particularly good! Also, if you have a MWM post to share with me, link it up in the comments!

If you want to join in on the fun:

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Title: Night Beach
Author: Kirsty Eagar
Published: May, 2012 by Penguin AU
Thanks: NetGalley / Penguin AU
Pages: 324
Rating: ★★★☆☆ 
Purchase: The Book Depository

Imagine there is someone you like so much that just thinking about them leaves you desperate and reckless. You crave them in a way that’s not rational, not right, and you’re becoming somebody you don’t recognise, and certainly don’t respect, but you don’t even care. And this person you like is unattainable. Except for one thing… He lives downstairs.

Abbie has three obsessions. Art. The ocean. And Kane. But since Kane’s been back, he’s changed. There’s a darkness shadowing him that only Abbie can see. And it wants her in its world.

Final Thoughts: I’ve wanted to read one of Kirsty Eagar’s books for so long – and I was thrilled when I got the opportunity to try out Night Beach. It’s a creepy, unsettling read with a strong, Australian style. I only wish that I wasn’t left feeling utterly confused and disorientated upon closing the last page!

I must say that it was totally refreshing to read another ‘pure Aussie’ YA book. I think the last one I read was Good Oil by Laura Buzo, and that was a while ago. While some people complain that non-Aussies won’t be able to relate, I don’t feel this is the case. Books like these, like Night Beach, give you a real glimpse into our atmosphere and lifestyle (though I’m pretty sure we don’t have weird shadow ghosts!) and for Aussie readers we get to see and hear about places we recognise and can imagine.

For that reason, I adored Night Beach. Kirsty Eagar has a real way with words, an amazing ability to create an atmosphere that draws you in and makes you feel PART of the drama/action/creepiness. Her descriptions of the ocean and the beach were both unsettling and familiar, and her characters were so raw and obscure. There was also some great music mentioned in this book, albeit briefly, like Patrick Wolf and Kasabian! Not integral to the story, obviously, but they stuck out at me since I’m a fan.

Abbie, our protagonist, was so hard to gauge! At times I really loved her (when she was babysitting Joey she was completely adorable) and at other times I was thinking ‘what is wrong with this girl?’ I can COMPLETELY understand what it’s like to be swept up into a crazy obsession with something or someone, to experience that gnawing NEED to know more about them and to find yourself thinking about them all the time – but there were some things she did that I just could not fathom EVER doing!

Kane himself – I just did not see the appeal. I can appreciate that there was a certain ‘aloofness’ to him that Abbie idolised – the fact she could never have him made her want him more – but for the most part, he was a complete douchebag. If there had been a ‘softer’ side to him or SOMETHING that happened whenever he and Abbie interacted other than awkwardness and anger, I would have relished his pagetime, but as it turned out, I did not. Kane was hardly at home, anyway. I found myself appreciating Abbie’s relationship with Hollywood more. The romance side of this book is pretty small in comparison to the ‘creepy/mystery’ part.

And yes, it’s CREEPY! I think the scariest things for me happened when Joey would talk to her imaginary friend, Pinty, and say something completely chilling. Although ‘invisible’ Pinty scared the crap out of me, and I’m sure it’s the same for other readers. The shadow creature was pretty damned scary, too. Though apart from being some kind of demon from the island Kane and his friends visited, we don’t find out much about it.

That was probably my main problem with this book. I was constantly left scratching my head. I wish there had been some huge explanation as to WHY or HOW this all happened – to Kane and to Abbie – and for me, it never came. This book lets YOU make sense of the events on your own, and I’ve never been into that. I need the author to sit me down, to TELL ME what the hell just happened! I felt like I got no resolution from this book other than Abbie’s realization over Kane in the end (to which I wanted to throw her a high-five, by the way).

There was some beautiful imagery in Night Beach and a completely eerie atmosphere which sucks you in as a reader, but I didn’t get out of the book what I wanted – explanations and resolutions – and I just don’t know what to make of it. All in all, a good read, but too ambiguous for my tastes.

I still have so many questions. Read them below (spoilers!)

Start Spoilers

What did the creature take as a sacrifice?
Why was Kane dead in the last visit to the Night Beach, and then alive?
How did Abbie use the candle – ‘love’ – to get rid of a demon?
What did Kane and his friends do to attract the demon in the first place, other than go to his island?
Why didn’t it take Toby A?
What was Pinty?
Why could Abbie see the demon?
Why did Abbie’s ‘relics’ go missing and appear on the Night Beach?
How did the mirrors reflect the other world?

End Spoilers

Recommended to: Readers of Aussie YA will love Night Beach. If you’re looking for a creepy read, give this one a go!

About the Author Kirsty Eagar grew up on a central Queensland cattle property and spent her school holidays at the beach. After studying economics, she worked on trading desks in Sydney and London before changing careers, wanting a life where she could surf every day. She travelled around Australia for a couple of years, worked a variety of jobs and began writing fiction. Kirsty lives with her husband and two daughters on Sydney’s northern beaches.

Stolen by Lucy Christopher
Good Oil by Laura Buzo

Title: Clarity (Clarity #1)
Author: Kim Harrington
Published: February, 2011 by Point
Pages: 256
Rating: ★★★☆☆ 
Purchase: The Book Depository

Clarity “Clare” Fern sees things. Things no one else can see. Things like stolen kisses and long-buried secrets. All she has to do is touch a certain object, and the visions come to her. It’s a gift.

And a curse.

When a teenage girl is found murdered, Clare’s ex-boyfriend wants her to help solve the case — but Clare is still furious at the cheating jerk. Then Clare’s brother — who has supernatural gifts of his own — becomes the prime suspect, and Clare can no longer look away. Teaming up with Gabriel, the smoldering son of the new detective, Clare must venture into the depths of fear, revenge, and lust in order to track the killer. But will her sight fail her just when she needs it most?

Final Thoughts: What a surprising little book! At just 250 pages, Clarity is a read you’ll be able to finish in one sitting. With a fast-paced murder-mystery and a realistic and likeable heroine, the book proves itself as one of the better YA psychic-versus-mystery stories!

The thing I liked most about Clarity was the titular character, Clarity or ‘Clare’. She was extremely funny, said what she thought and reacted both rationally and true to herself. Faced with a lot of obstacles and problems throughout the course of the novel, she always managed to come out on top. I mentally applauded her on more than one occasion (most notably the soda-dumping scene!)

I thought a lot about rating this book a four. In my opinion it’s better than all the other YA mysteries I’ve read where the heroine is the investigator/psychic. Why? I guess because Clarity was so likeable and the plot threw the readers back and forth between guessing the murderer and then second guessing their choice. It wasn’t outrageously obvious as to who was behind the murder of the teen victim, Victoria. The background given with Clarity and her family was also interesting, with their ‘psychic reading’ business adding a lot of weight to the story. Kim Harrington’s secondary characters – such as Clarity’s mum and her brother, Perry – were well drawn out, too. I’d rate this higher than The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting.

The setting was also brilliant; with Clarity and her family living in a small, touristy town in the Cape Cod area. It made for an interesting atmosphere – beach one minute, crime scene the next! You find yourself wondering who the killer could be in such a small community.

What let me down with this one, however, was the romance-y aspect of the book. I didn’t feel that we got enough time to really warm up to Clarity with any one of the guys. As it’s only a small book, the interactions seemed rushed and even though Clarity hardly knew Gabriel – and even suspected him of something – they were entering into the kissing, etc. and I just felt it was out of place. Clarity was a strong enough character to remain on her own throughout the events of the book. Perhaps the romance could have been brought in a little later in the series, say with the next book Perception, but I guess the YA audience demands what it demands. I must also mention that there’s also the shaky relationship Clarity shares with her ex, Justin. This, thrown in on top of the budding relationship with Gabriel, often clogged the story and drew away from its mystery elements.

I had a few complaints about the ending, but nothing too serious. I only wish it hadn’t wrapped up so quickly and with the ‘showdown’ at the end, which was quite predictable. I knew the book would have to end with a bang, as these sorts of ones always do (you know, the scene where the killer surprises them and then proceeds to confess the whole crime and recap the events of the book, gloating instead of taking action toward his new prisoners…) but I had initially hoped that Kim Harrington would travel down a different path, away from the norm.

All that being said, it was a good read. I was able to finish it within a few hours and didn’t feel like I’d wasted my time getting stuck into it. I’m quite happy with what I found within Clarity and I’m sure if you’re already developing an interest in the book, you will too. It’s faster-paced than the others with similar plotlines, has a better heroine and better secondary characters.

Recommended to: If you’re considering delving into the YA mystery scene, which features a psychic girl working for the police (hey, people have particulars!) then give Clarity a shot!

About the Author Kim Harrington is the author of the Clarity series for teens and the Sleuth or Dare series for kids. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband and son. When not writing, she’s most likely reading, watching one of her favorite TV shows, or fantasizing about her next vacation. Her first book, Clarity, received a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly, was a 2012 ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers, sold to eight countries, and was optioned for television by Warner Brothers.

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting
Mercy by Rebecca Lim
Slide by Jill Hathaway

Title: The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden #1)
Author: Julie Kagawa
Published: May 1, 2012 by Harlequin Teen AU
Thanks: Harlequin Teen, AU
Pages: 451
Rating: ★★★★☆ 
Purchase: The Book Depository

Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten.

Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them. The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked—and given the ultimate choice. Die… or become one of the monsters.

Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad.

Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend—a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike.

But it isn’t easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what—and who—is worth dying for.

Final Thoughts: Initially I wasn’t too happy with where I thought The Immortal Rules was going. I’m glad I stuck with it, though, as the book turned out to be an enjoyable ride. I found the second half to be more gratifying than the first, with some great character development and lots of action. While I don’t place the first in the Blood of Eden series higher than Julie’s Iron Fey, it’s worth looking into!

I’m a big fan of Julie Kagawa’s previous series, The Iron Fey. When I heard The Immortal Rules was coming out, I was both excited and nervous. Another vampire story, really? But being Julie Kagawa, I thought I’d give it the benefit of the doubt. There was a lot of buzz for this title and I was eager to see just how it measured up. All in all I enjoyed it, but as I previously stated, I wouldn’t regard it ‘better’ than The Iron Daughter or The Iron Queen.

I felt that The Immortal Rules didn’t use Julia Kagawa’s amazing knack for flowery, magical language and imagery. I’m constantly astounded when reading The Iron Fey at just how well Julie Kagawa can immerse the reader in an ethereal, enchanting world and make them feel both dizzy and elated at once. The Immortal Rules incorporated none of that, though it still had a good amount of direction and excitement to draw in the reader. I would have been happier, however, if Julie Kagawa had stuck to what she does so brilliantly and made this dystopian/vampire tale a little different from the others.

Not that it wasn’t good – it was! I just wish that Julie had slapped her own brand of storytelling on this one rather than fall in line with how all the other dystopian tales are told. It had the same atmosphere as other titles out there, such as Carrie Ryan’s The Forest of Hands and Teeth, instead of being outrageously individual. After reading so many dystopians, I’m looking for something that really SCREAMS originality, and I think Julie could have done that by injecting her individual and unique style into the pages.

The book has four parts; ‘Human’, ‘Vampire’, ‘Monster’ and ‘Wanderer. I think the use of ‘parts’ in The Immortal Rules really added to the story, with each volume having a distinct feel and goal in mind for our heroine, Allison. My favourite parts were definitley ‘Monster’ and ‘Wanderer’. I felt that the latter part of the book was stronger than the first, with all the character’s personalities having been fully fleshed out by that time. The world was also established solidly, enabling the reader to glide smoothly along with Allison, Zeke and the rest of the crew.

When reflecting, the first part of the book, ‘Human’, seems a world away. Julie really accomplished transforming Allison from the Fringer she was into a kick-ass vampire. I really applaud her for the amount of character development she managed to weave into her female lead. As a reader we felt Allison grow, and it was hard to believe that she was only a new vampire herself.

I liked the first ‘Human’ portion of the novel, but I was still waiting for that OOMPH to really make me LOVE it.

Unfortunately, with the following part, ‘Vampire’, I was still looking for that kick. Looking on Goodreads, I see that many others have had that problem, even stopping at this part of the book. I recommend pushing forward. It’s the weakest part of the book, in my opinion, educating the reader on the ‘vampire lore’ in the world of New Covington and beyond. I realise this was necessary, to set up the foundations, but as a reader who has read a GAZILLION vampire books, most of the information here felt regurgitated and re-used, and I found myself lacking motivation to continue. I did, however, enjoy Allison’s relationship with Kanin. I’m eager to learn more about him.

Once The Immortal Rules kicked into full-out LET’S SAVE THE WORLD dystopian-mode, I was a happy camper. I will say, however, that I wish I could come across a dystopian world that was not riddled with disease. Is this really the only way that the world could be decimated? I doubt it. I’m a little tired of our characters having to battle raging, frothing monster who could infect them. I could put those feelings behind me, however, because I found Allison’s introduction to the band of wanderers looking for the vampire-free ‘Eden’ to be very enjoyable. This was the ‘Monster’ volume of the book.

I liked the individual identities within the group, too. There were some great personalities – I don’t want to hash over them too much, so you’ll just have to find out for yourself. Allison’s relationship with Zeke was good, but not the focal point, which I found refreshing.

The last part of the book, ‘Wanderer’, is absolutely action packed. I found myself cheering for Allison as she went vampire-ninja on her foes. For the most part of this book, however, I was telling myself that I wasn’t going to continue on in the series. While I was enjoying my time in Allison’s world, I hadn’t found a gem that would make me want to return once I’d read 450 pages. After the ending, I’m not so sure.

Give The Immortal Rules a go if you’re a fan of Julie’s other books. It’s also an interesting read to see both the vampire and dystopian worlds become melded together into one YA book. If you’re having doubts about the book, or not feeling it’s your cup of tea, keep reading until you’ve read a little of the ‘Monster’ chapter. If you’re still not satisfied, then maybe the book isn’t for you. Thankfully it was for me, and I was able to finish it with a smile.

Recommended to: Fans of Julie Kagawa’s other series, The Iron Fey, as well as readers of dystopian/vampire fiction.

About the Author Julie Kagawa spent much of her childhood with her nose in a book, particularly fantasy books, as they were so much more interesting than that boring math lecture she was supposed to be listening to. As a result, she still has to multiply on her fingers, but discovered writing was the logical outlet for all the stories, plots, and characters running around in her head. When not writing or reading, Julie can usually be found kicking alien arse on the Xbox, Wii, or PS3.

The Forest of Hands & Teeth by Carrie Ryan
Enclave by Anne Aguirre
Divergent by Veronica Roth

With her debut novel ‘Wrecked’ coming out today, May 1st, I’d like to welcome author Anna Davies to the blog. The month of May is HUGE for mermaid debuts, so I asked Anna a few questions about the book and being behind one of the whopping THREE mermaid YA’s coming out in the next thirty days.

Q: Describe your debut novel ‘Wrecked‘ in 25 words or less!
A girl finds out that when you feel like you’ve lost everything, sometimes, the only thing you can depend on is a little bit of magic.

Q: ‘Wrecked‘ takes place on Whym Island, a place shrouded in folklore. You live in Brooklyn. How did you go about ‘escaping’ the city during your writing, in order to realistically capture the atmosphere of the island, its beach and the water?
In college, I spent summers working at an arts festival in South Carolina, so I knew SC well enough to bring back memories. And then I’ve always loved the ocean—I used to be a camp counselor when I was younger on an island in the San Juans off of Washington State, where I always used to sleep outside, on the beach, in my sleeping bag. I love New York, but I always escape to the beach whenever I can—have been to Costa Rica twice this year to learn how to surf. Which, by the way, is what I hope my next book will be about—surfing!

Q: What inspired your love for mermaids and the water? Is it something you’ve always been interested in?
Like every little girl, I loved the movie The Little Mermaid. I think there’s something so magical about believing a whole world exists under the ocean. And then the ocean is so romantic. It’s so beautiful, and wild, and really something that we can’t tame. I feel like I’ve grown more and more obsessed with the ocean as I’ve gotten into surfing—you’ve got to understand and respect the waves and they’ll respect you back. In the book, Miranda and her friends have all grown up with this respect and understanding of the water, but they still realize that there are some things about it that are outside of their control.

Q: What were the main challenges in writing Miranda’s story? What parts of the novel did you struggle most with?
Well, I began writing this right after my mom died from cancer. There are actually a few sections of the book I wrote before she passed away. And then when I had to go back into the novel after she passed away—it was so hard. So I really understood the pain, confusion, and sadness Miranda experiences in most of the novel, because I was going through it at the time.

Q: How long did the process of writing the novel take? Was the story of ‘Wrecked‘ one you had flitting about in your head for a while, or did it demand to be written immediately?
I’d been trying to think of a new thing to write, since my ghostwriting work (novels about two vampire brothers who hate each other) was coming to a close. I also had gotten really into legends and fairy tales and myths, and travelled to the Isle of Man, in the Irish Sea, to do some research on fairies. And then somehow, the idea for Wrecked came from that. Because whenever I sat down to write about fairies and the Isle of Man, I kept thinking mermaids, and somehow, this is the story that I ended up telling.

Q: You have some friendly competition this month, as two other mermaid novels are also making their debut – ‘Of Poseidon‘ by Anna Banks and ‘The Vicious Deep‘ by Zoraida Cordova. If readers could only pick one of the three, why should they choose ‘Wrecked’?
Well, hopefully, they can read all three! Wrecked is about magic, and mermen (betwixtmen, to be specific) but it’s also about love and loss and learning that you can move on from anything, and that sometimes, when you don’t believe in anything, you’ve just got to believe—period—and let things unfold.

Q: You’ve ghost-written books before. Is it refreshing and liberating to finally have a book out with your name on it? How did the process this time around differ from your previous publishing experiences?
It’s a lot different! Before Wrecked, I’d ghostwritten two major series (one about the aforementioned two vampire brothers/rivals, and the other about a group of privileged Upper East Side elite teenagers) I learned so much from both series—had amazing editors, worked with the creators, and learned how to write fast and take direction. With Wrecked, I had a lot more freedom, which was good and bad. Good in that I could really drive the story, and bad because I was used to working with an outline. I ended up just doing a basic outline for Wrecked, but in my future projects, I now write detailed outlines, plot notes, and character descriptions before I start.

Q: 2012 is an exciting year for YA debuts! Aside from your own (hehe), what are some titles you’re eagerly waiting for or have already enjoyed?
Ones that I’m excited about — of course, Of Poseidon, by Anna Banks, since we share a first name, subject matter, and some fun Tweets. I like the premise of If I Lie by Corrine Jackson, about a girl who cheats on her boyfriend—who’s currently serving in Afghanistan. It was a debut last year, but I love Jocelyn Davies (no relation, but we had coffee once) A Beautiful Dark —and the next book in the series, A Fractured Light, is coming out this fall.

Mouth-Watering Monday is a weekly meme started by myself (Brittany) at Nice Girls Read Books. As book bloggers, we love to admire pretty covers, old and new. This meme takes the guilt out of judging a book by its cover, instead embracing it and showing off our favourite finds of the week!

You can show off one or more of your most mouth-watering covers!

I’m going to start doing things a little differently with this meme. I’m no longer going to put a linky at the end of the post, instead, if you want to participate, just leave me a comment with your post! :) I’ll be sure to take a peek at your MWM if you decide to make one. It was just so much of a hassle to create up a new linky for every week I did this and I felt it was putting me off from making these posts as regular as I would have liked…

Shine Light by Marianne de Pierres
40 Things I Want to Tell You by Alice Kuipers
Time Between Us by Tamara Ireland Stone
Wentworth Hall by Abby Grahame

It’s certainly a pink post this week! What can I say about Shine Light other than it’s absolutely gorgeous! The covers for this series have all been so beautiful and unique, but this one really takes the cake for me! Can’t wait to read it! 40 Things I Want to Tell You looks so cute, too. Love the colours. Time Between Us is a book I am really hanging out for. It’s on my DAC Challenge this year! As for Wentworth Hall, I’m not sure if I’ll be reading this one, but I love the composition of the models and costumes – so Downton Abbey!

If you want to join in on the fun:

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