Happy New Year!

Hello everyone. I know this is long overdue, but, well, yeah. I'm sure a glance at my last posts will fill you in on everything.

So, it's officially 2017! I know that I am certainly happy to have rid myself of 2016, considering that the last four months of that year were undeniably the worst in my entire life. I've been battling severe health anxiety, stress, as well as multiple health problems. For example, when I was in hospital for three days with atrial tachycardia, the doctors couldn't explain why it had even happened. It was just a 'sometimes they don't have a cause' deal, something which freaked me out because my anxiety couldn't handle not knowing anything.

Luckily, I'm getting help and I'm starting to get better. I'm not constantly afraid anymore and I can ignore headaches and coughs where before I hadn't been able to. Of course, my anxiety likes to make me think I haven't progressed, recalling the last time I had an anxious thought and insisting that I can't possibly be any better. But I know I'm getting better. I know I'm getting stronger and braver every day when it comes to battling this anxiety. Maybe I'm just saying this because I've had a good week and I haven't been very anxious and so I'm feeling optimistic. I don't know. We'll just have to find out.

As for 2017, I'm going to make this the best year I can! I'm going to try and get more active on my blog, though I'll be studying for my GCSEs, which start in May, and so I might not be as active as I want to be.  But I'll be posting more than once a month like I have been doing lately.

I've got some things lined up,  and hopefully this time I'll be able to post everything I take on (Sorry, BookFish Books!) so that you can get some new content that isn't me rambling on about anxiety.

I would also say, having learned how alone anxiety can make you feel, I'd like to do a post series focused on mental health to help those like me, to help those who are struggling. Mental health was never a big thing in my life until recently, when I learned just how big a thing it can be.  It hit me like a brick wall. And now I see why it's such a looming thing in people's lives, and I want to help those people if I can.

Anyway,  to cut a long story short, 2016 was terrible, but I'm optimistic about 2017. So everyone, go and conquer your 2017!

Thank you...

I would just like to thank all of you so much for your patience with me.

I still have some definite issues happening in my life,  but once again I am having time constraints.

My mock exams are officially starting on Wednesday and so my next post will probably not be until afterwards. Therefore my next post will likely not be until I am hosting the lovely BookFishBooks again on the 19th of the month.

So thank you so much all for your support, encouragement and patience. I promise I will try and do everything I can to keep the blog going.

The truth about why I haven't been posting

Hi everyone.

I know I haven't spoken to you in months, but I think you need to know the truth about everything that's been happening with me recently.

So, I wasn't lying in the summer when I said that I wasn't having enough time to read books and post, although I suppose I had been struggling to maintain my interest in books recently.

But in August, I had a problem with my heart. I went into hospital, where I was told my heart was going 160 bpm, way outside of the normal range. I was in hospital for a few days with atrial tachycardia.

After that I began suffering with severe health anxiety and continuing issues with my heart. I have now recently also been diagnosed with severe acid reflux.

In other words, my health hasn't been good for months.

I've been continuing to read, though, but I haven't had the energy for review them.

I'm trying to get treatment for everything, and I'm starting to get better.

So that's why I haven't been posting, and I'm sorry.

Hopefully I'll be back to normal soon

REVIEW: An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

Hi, so it just so happened that I went on holiday and was able to have enough time to read some books. So I bought one from a bookstore in the place I was staying and read it while the family were recovering from an eight-mile walk we did on the day before. I have to say that I'm not the fittest person on Earth, so I was definitely proud of myself for making that walk.

Sidenote aside,  I had been simply dying to get this book, but there had always seemed to be another book I wanted more. But this time I decided to pick up the one John Green teen book I haven't read - An Abundance of Katherines

---

Stats

Title: An Abundance of Katherines
Author: John Green
Version: 2012 Paperback
(Originally) Published by Penguin Books on September 21st 2006
Length: 227 pages
ISBN: 0141346094
Average rating (Goodreads): 3.66 stars



Review


When I checked out this book on Goodreads for the first time before reading it, I was slightly surprised to see that it had such a low average rating. I mean, it's a John Green book, for God's sake!

The rest of his books have average ratings that are never below 3.9 stars, and most were 4 stars and above, so I was undoubtedly rather surprised to see how low this book had been rated.

After reading it for myself, I do find myself slightly agreeing with the other reviewers, who said that this wasn't as good as John Green's other books.

I'm going to try and not be biased about this just because it is a John Green, but at the end of the day this book simply doesn't match up to the likes of Paper Towns, Looking for Alaska and the Fault in Our Stars.

Firstly, the main character Colin. I know John Green likes to make characters that have flaws so they are realistic and three-dimensional, but Colin. Colin, man. He is whiney and self-absorbed and needy. He lacks any kind of confidence in himself. His way of dealing with an issue is to lie face-down on the floor and he needs his friend Hassan to get him back up on his feet again.

Colin did infuriate me at first, even if these flaws ended up being a little bit endearing to me, but I am aware that they didn't for many other readers. However, because I ended up liking Colin and I liked the way John Green made the flaws fit his personality so well I am going to say that I'm somewhat neutral on Colin's personality.

I just felt that this book was a watered-down version of the amazing books I have read by John Green. There was less adventure about the whole thing, there were fewer of the jokes and quirks that - to me - define John Green's unmistakeable style and the characters were less intense.

The book read to me like someone was trying to imitate John Green and had done only a half-decent job about it.

One the other hand, if this wasn't a John Green book, I would probably be a lot less harsh about it.

The characters are well-written if not three-dimensional or filled with the John Green-ness that I love so much. Their interactions are definitely not wooden and Hassan, Lindsey and Colin work undeniably well as a character set.

The plot flows well and is filled with unique and interesting ideas like having a character who only dates girls named Katherine. I think this plot is definitely a John Green sort of plot, and I love the whole premise behind it, but he didn't seem to do enough with it.

The ending was fantastic, with a nice feel-good note to end on and a sense of adventure stretching out ahead for the three main characters. It's the only part of the book that I felt was 100% unadulterated John Green.

I also did like the few jokes and funny scenes that were put in there, as they also felt very much like John Green's style and they did make me laugh quite a lot. It's only that I didn't feel that the book as a whole was as funny as other John Greens.

The footnotes and various different facts were entertaining to me, but some other readers did not find them so enjoyable. But to me, the good thing about footnotes is you don't have to read them. So it's not a big deal if you don't like the random facts since 50% of them are found in the footnotes.

So, that's my review over. All things considered, I am going to award An Abundance of Katherines:

COVER REVEAL: Rex, by Adam Rock, Mark Rogers and Cody B. Stewart

I am incredibly sorry, everyone, for my unexplained hiatus. Things are definitely catching up to me and it's been a busy school year.

I would like to take this opportunity to inform you that next year is going to be even more busy than this one and I have a very important year ahead of me. Because of this, I am going to be a lot less active on the blog.

I will post whenever I am able, though I have no idea when this will be. I am likely going to be unable to review books, so content will probably not be reviews.

But I trust that you will understand and that you will be patient

---

But today, I have something special for you - today is the cover reveal for Rex, by Adam Rocke, Mark Rogers, and Cody B. Stewart.

Title: Rex

Author: Adam Rocke, Mark Rogers, Cody B. Stewart

Genre: Middle Grade

Release date: October 5, 2016

Publisher

Presale Buy Link

Blurb

When eleven-year-old TJ finds a weird looking egg in the Florida Everglades after a tropical storm rips through, naturally he takes it home for identification. It could be the egg of a mutant duck or something, which would be awesome. Problem is, the egg doesn’t look like it came from a mallard, even a mutated one—it’s too big and heavy and…strange. So he hides it away in his closet and continues on with his life as usual, doing his best to ignore the creepy men constantly banging at his front door and the significant rise in military helicopter sightings in his typically quiet neighbourhood.

Then one day he comes home from school and it’s as though a hand grenade has gone off inside his bedroom. Suddenly, TJ knows he’s dealing with something a little more interesting—and a little more deadly—than a duck.

About the Authors

Cody B. Stewart

Cody B. Stewart was born in the Adirondacks, in Upstate New York. His love of stories began in those mountains as he vanquished trolls, fought in the American Revolution and discovered his latent mutant powers. Stories have continued to consume his life, but he now plucks them out of his head and puts them down on paper in the form of novels and comic books. He left the Adirondacks to grow into a man, did so, and has since returned with a wonderfully supportive wife and two sons.

Adam Rocke

Adam Rocke Slutsky never met an adventure he didn’t love. From swimming with great white sharks without a cage, to jumping out of a plane without a parachute, Adam’s adrenaline junkie tendencies play a major role in his writing. Throw in a secondary degree in CryptoZoology and it’s anyone’s guess where Adam’s literary travels will take him.

Mark Rogers

Mark’s career as a travel journalist has brought him to 56 countries and counting. These trips have fed his imagination while at the same time provided authentic experiences and sensory detail that find their way into his novels and screenplays. Mark’s won multiple awards for his travel writing, including an award for his Hurricane Ivan coverage in Jamaica. His work regularly appears in USA Today and other media outlets. Mark lives in Baja California with his Sinaloa-born wife, Sophy, where they recently built a rock house overlooking the sea

Now that we've shared this awesome cover, we can't wait to share the book!

See you in October!

www.commondeerpress.com

www.facebook.com/commondeerpress

<@AHerdOfDeer

I'm (sort of) Free!

Well, my exams are done at school! I'll be officially done my school year soon, but all of this hopefully means I should have plenty of time on my hands in order to do more posts for you guys!

I do warn you, though, that once I start my next year at school, it's only going to be more hectic. I will have a lot of exams all the way through from the beginning of the year to the end and I might not realistically be able to post much.

But let's not worry about next year! Let's look forward to a great summer in which I can actually be a productive human and read all of the ARCs I've been asked to read O.o

REVIEW: Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige

Hey, hey, hey guys!

I know I didn't do a post last week. I've felt like such a flake recently, and I'm so sorry. But with exams coming up, this is a VERY busy time of year for me at school. But I can assure you I am trying my best to provide you with the content all of you lovely people deserve!

So today I have a review for you guys, and I hope you enjoy!

Stats

Title: Dorothy Must Die

Author: Danielle Paige

Version: Paperback

Published by Harper Collins on 31st March 2015

Length: 480 pages

ISBN: 0062280686

Average rating (Goodreads): 3.86 stars

Synopsis (Goodreads)

The New York Times bestselling first book in a dark new series that reimagines the Oz saga, from debut author Danielle Paige.

I didn't ask for any of this. I didn't ask to be some kind of hero. But when your whole life gets swept up by a tornado—taking you with it—you have no choice but to go along, you know?

Sure, I've read the books. I've seen the movies. I know the song about the rainbow and the happy little blue birds. But I never expected Oz to look like this. To be a place where Good Witches can't be trusted, Wicked Witches may just be the good guys, and winged monkeys can be executed for acts of rebellion. There's still a road of yellow brick—but even that's crumbling.

What happened? Dorothy. They say she found a way to come back to Oz. They say she seized power and the power went to her head. And now no one is safe.

My name is Amy Gumm—and I'm the other girl from Kansas. I've been recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked. I've been trained to fight. And I have a mission: Remove the Tin Woodman's heart. Steal the Scarecrow's brain. Take the Lion's courage. And—Dorothy must die.

My Review

As always, I am going to be completely and utterly honest with you guys. Even if it is brutal honesty, because quite frankly you guys deserve to know the truth about each and every novel I review.

I was very, very let down by this novel.

Even if it is a New York Times best seller, I think it's 480 pages of utter rubbish. I know this is a strong opinion for me to take, but I don't feel like I'm being too harsh at all.

First of all, the synopsis is completely misleading. It makes it sound like she had already been recruited into the order, that she already knows her mission and that she already knows she has to remove the Tin Woodman's heart, etc.

The reader thinks it's going to be an epic novel in which Amy Gumm, the main character, kills off the characters one by one until she gets to Dorothy as the final boss. 

This is not the case.

Amy only gets recruited into the Order halfway through the novel and she only finds out that she has to kill the Tin Woodman, the Scarecrow and the Lion five pages before the novel ends.

There is very little plot movement in the whole book at all. In fact, Danielle Paige, the author, seems to have stretched out what could be one book into two for the first two novels. Perhaps the third could have constituted a sequel, but my point is that the first two novels could have been just one.

In fact, most of the novel is filler, where Amy repeats that she has to kill Dorothy about every five lines,  and where the pace is so completely slow.

I also think it's an absolute tragedy, the way Paige handled the setting. There was such an opportunity in describing Oz when it is being destroyed, but there is very little actual detailed description of it at all, which I think is a complete waste of what could be an extremely atmospheric setting.

The novel has no atmosphere at all, actually. There is little emotion in the air. In my opinion, when there is little description and little emotion in a novel, you know the novel is mostly filler and not really worth reading.

There is a poorly developed romance in the novel between Amy and a young man called Nox. There is no physical description of Nox beyond basic things like hair and eye colour, and he has absolutely no depth or personality. There is no dynamic between Nox and Amy and the whole romance seems forced, like Paige figured the only way to make the long areas of the novel where there is no plot move faster is by throwing in a romance, only she forgot to actually add chemistry. 

Amy also seems to maintain an interest in another young man named Pete, although again there is little to none physical description, although his description is slightly better and afforded about a paragraph. It is very confusing because it is not evident whether or not Amy is attracted to Pete, as she states she finds him attractive, but she never seems to actually have feelings, never mind act on them. I would take this as a sign that she does not love him, but in this novel Amy seems to have no described feelings towards Nox and yet still loves him, so really, who knows?

In fact, the novel is so poorly-described that we don't know any more about Amy Gumm than her hair is dyed pink and her eyes are chocolate brown, and she is flat-chested. The description for the protagonist of the novel gets no more detailed than that.

In conclusion, I just feel that this novel is slow-paced and non-descriptive, with characters that have little personality and little description to their appearances. There are also practically no plot events and a very misleading synopsis.

All things considered, I'm going to award this novel:

BLOG TOUR: She Laughs In Pink by Jessica Calla

I am so sorry about missing posts for the last couple of weeks. Things are hectic, and I've been ill recently too. I'll try my best to keep up with the blog, but if I don't post, I apologise in advance.

------- (From this point onwards, content provided by BookFish Books) ------

With that done, today, I have the pleasure of hosting Jessica Calla for the release of her NA romance, She Laughs In Pink! Keep reading because there is information about a $25 Amazon gift card!!

Title: She Laughs In Pink

Author: Jessica Calla

Publisher: BookFish Books

Genre: NA Romance

Release Date: May 17, 2016

About She Laughs In Pink

Four years after her twin is murdered, Juliet Anderson still struggles with guilt, her parents, and her relationships. Two things keep her from falling into a deep, dark place—dancing and her best friend, Ben. So when Ben decides to play football for New Jersey University, Juliet doesn’t hesitate. She follows. Finally away from her past, there is nothing to stand in the way. Juliet will win Ben's heart.

Then she meets Ben's roommate, Chase.

On probation and hell-bent on adhering to a “new life plan,” aspiring artist Chase leaves his New York City home for New Jersey University and meets Juliet before even stepping foot on campus. For him, their connection is instant. She’s the most vibrant girl he's ever seen. Her colors explode on his canvas, and he's never been more inspired in his life.

Too bad she’s madly in love with his seemingly perfect, good guy roommate.

Buy It Now!

About Jessica Calla

Jessica Calla is a lawyer by day, author by night. Her favorite time is the kids’ bedtime, when she's free to open the laptop, battle with the blinking cursor, and pour out the contents of her heart. 
Jessica is a member of Romance Writers of America, involved in the Contemporary, Young Adult, and New Jersey Chapters, and is a member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. She recently became the oldest marketing intern ever at BookFish Books, and was named a Team Member for the inaugural FicFest writing contest. She also mentors unpublished writers as part of the Young Adult Romance Writers' mentoring program.

Besides reading and writing, Jessica enjoys movies, yoga, coffee, and chocolate, but has a serious addiction problem when it comes to Diet Coke, Twitter, and Netflix. Always a Jersey Girl, she lives in the central part of the state with her husband, two sons, and her dog.
Jessica's first book, The Love Square, an adult contemporary romance, was published by Limitless Publishing in January of 2016 and continues to receive positive reviews. She can't wait for Book 2 of the Sheridan Hall Series, She Runs Away, to be released in November 2016 by BookFish Books

Find Jess Online

Facebook

Twitter

Website

Goodreads

Email

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REVIEW: Eliza Rose by Lucy Worsley

Today I'm reviewing a book I bought last weekend, which I've been reading all week. I'm dying to get on with this review, so let's take a look at the stats!

Stats

Title: Eliza Rose

Author: Lucy Worsley

Version: Paperback

Published by Bloomsbury Childrens on 7th April 2016

Length: 368 pages

ISBN: 1408869438

Average rating (Goodreads): 3.9 stars

Synopsis (Goodreads)

I would often wonder about my future husband. A knight? A duke? A stable boy?
Of course the last was just a wicked fancy.
Eliza Rose Camperdowne is young and headstrong, but she knows her duty well. As the only daughter of a noble family, she must one day marry a man who is very grand and very rich.

But Fate has other plans. When Eliza becomes a maid of honour, she's drawn into the thrilling, treacherous court of Henry the Eighth . . .

Is her glamorous cousin Katherine Howard a friend or a rival?

And can a girl choose her own destiny in a world ruled by men?

The Review

I absolutely love historical novels, and it is incredibly rare to find a historical YA novel (never mind a good one), which is part of the reason why I think Eliza Rose is a total gem.

It is written by a historian who actually curates Hampton Court, which means that this novel goes into the sort of detail I've never seen before in a Young Adult historical novel. Everything is absolutely  accurate, and it is a fantastic way to illustrate the events that happened in Henry VIII's court spanning the reigns of three queens, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves and Katherine Howard.

I respect Worsley because she wrote Eliza Rose to offer a new perspective on the life of Katherine Howard, and I think she managed to gain a different level of intimacy by telling it through the eyes of Katherine's cousin, Eliza, rather than through Katherine's.

The plot is exciting and shocking, even if you know what is going to happen. I know the different events that happened within this period, yet Worsley still managed to make them sneak up on me and shock me.

On the other hand, the main character, Eliza, can be incredibly irritating. She says constantly in the beginning of the novel that she deserves the best because her family is the oldest in Derbyshire. She can be selfish and arrogant, and this constant childish boasting in the beginning parts of the novel can be very annoying.

I did also feel that, although the writing in the rest of the novel was of a consistently high standard, I was let down by the ending. It felt rushed and lacked description.

On the whole, Worsley did an excellent job at capturing the danger of Henry VIII's court, and her writing was generally excellent. With all of this in mind, I am awarding Eliza Rose:

GUEST POST: Ellie Sipila, Common Deer Press

Today I welcome the lovely Ellie Sipila, owner of the new publishing house Common Deer Press, which opens its doors in just two short days. She asked me to host her for a guest post, so I asked her to tell me a little bit about her publishing house and what makes it unique and interesting. 

With that I welcome Ellie to the blog!

I’ve been asked a few times to describe the kind of manuscript I’d like to receive at Common Deer Press. And you know, that’s kind of like asking an expectant mother what kind of baby she wants to have. Something robust, easy on the eyes, fun, and…awesome. We hope our children will grow up strong and intelligent and capable; we hope they’ll do us proud. But what do we want specifically, like, detail-wise?

That’s a very difficult question to answer when your main requirement is unusualness. I mean, if we really were talking about a human baby we could say something like, “I want a baby with a large nose,” or “I’d love my son to be born with a 1973 David Hasselhoff head of hair,” or maybe, “I hope little Sally has an extra toe on her left foot but not her right.” With books though? Well, excellent writing, yes. Authors that are agreeable and easy to work with, definitely. But when trying to describe specifics..? Impossible.

Common Deer Press has committed itself to giving homes to those manuscripts that have all the artistry in the world but also something else. We want submissions that are experimental. We want to be surprised. We value creativity and bravery—we want our authors to feel confident in their weirdness. We believe that writing, like all the arts, is based on subjectivity. We want to step away from the mainstream while still upholding extreme quality. What does that mean, exactly?

We have no idea. But we do know it when we see it.

Common Deer Press is a small house made up of passionate people. We like to approach our tasks as a team. We not only want manuscripts that are different, but we want to operate a little differently as well. We prefer to run our house as a partnership with our authors. After all, we have the same goal. We really don’t get too fussed when saying which genres we do and do not like. It’s safe to say that kissing books are not our thing, nor are touching chick lit stories. But if you have a series of interconnected short mysteries all told from the points of view of a crazy old woman’s houseplants…throw it at us. That, we’d like to see.

And that’s it. That’s our requirement. Unusualness. The stranger, the better. The more creative, the better. The more times it’s been rejected for being to oddball…you guessed it. We want to see it.

www.commondeerpress.com

www.facebook.com/commondeerpress

@AHerdOfDeer

Something interesting to let you know about...

I know, guys, that I didn't do a post yesterday - I had a family event in which I stayed overnight with family. I didn't have any time to do a post!

Anyway, today I found something interesting on twitter. It's a writing competition.

@Reviewing4Teens Hi TeenBookReviewer! undefined https://t.co/7IB0v9P8MW Best wishes, Linda

— PublishersScript (@ScriptPublisher) 17 April 2016

You can either enter the competition or refer an author and win $1000. The winner of the competition gets published. The competition runs until the 7th June.

For more information follow this link

COVER REVEAL AND GIVEAWAY: Tuned Into You by Cindy Dorminy

Today, I'm stoked to be hosting Cindy Dorminy for the cover reveal of her young adult romance Tuned Into You! Stay tuned for your chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card!

Here's a little bit about Cindy herself:

About the Author

Cindy Dorminy grew up on a steady diet of popcorn (the kind you pop in a sauce pan), Tab (pre-Diet Coke), and movies for teenagers. She can’t let a day go by without quoting a line from one of her favorite films, so quirky dialogue is a must in her stories. When she’s not at her research coordinator day job, Cindy is writing funny love stories, walking her dog, or slinging iron the old-fashioned way. She shares her house with her musician husband, her awesome daughter, and a cool, four-footed child that would eat all the cheese ifshe could figure out how to open the refrigerator. Cindy is a member of Romance Writers of America and Music City Romance Writers. She resides in Nashville, TN where live music can be heard everywhere, even at the grocery store.

Find her online!

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/CindyD-Writes-870161859757429/

Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/48430676

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/cindydorminy

Website:

www.cindydwrites.com

About Tuned Into You

A summer party is the last place Lydia Flowers wants to be. Beer pong? Stupid, foot-wrecking shoes? Random hookups? No thanks. Lydia would rather be in her cleats practicing her bat handling skills.

Enter Abe Fischer, the Nashville Teen Idol superstar. He’s a lip-syncing party animal with a short fuse; or at least that’s what the tabloids say. Except, Abe turns out to be nothing like the guy Lydia’s read about online. He’s sweet, and the way he talks to his horse…sigh.

Then life throws Lydia and Abe a curveball. They are wrongfully arrested for destruction of property. Their choices? Either work on the Fischer Farm for the summer earning nothing more than blisters and a sunburn, or have the arrest go on their records, which would ruin Lydia’s shot at a softball scholarship. It’s a no-brainer. Lydia picks up a pitchfork, pulls out the SPF 40, and prepares for the worst two months of her life.

When the press gets wind of a big secret Abe’s family has been keeping, things become even more complicated. Now Lydia has another choice to make: stick around for Abe’s messed-up life in the spotlight, or go for the scholarship of her dreams.

Add Tuned Into You to your Goodreads TBR list!

And now...

The Cover!

Isn't it gorgeous? Anita at Race-point did the artwork, and she's one of the best in the business! 

Preorder Your Copy Today!

Tuned Into You Pre-Order

Giveaway

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