Burning Impossibly Bright

Title:  Double Crossed Author:  Ally Carter Series:   Gallagher Girls #5.5, Heist Society #2.5 Pages:   60 Publisher:  Orchard Books Date of Publication:  30th January 2013 Source:  Free on Kindle Synopsis from Goodreads: Macey McHenry—Glamorous society girl or spy-in-training? W.W. Hale V—Heir to an American dynasty or master thief? There are two sides to every coin. Whether these two can work together is a tossup. Born into privilege, Macey and Hale are experts at mingling with the upper class. But even if they’ve never raised an eyebrow at the glitz, neither teenager has ever felt at home with the glamour. When Macey and Hale meet at a society gala, the party takes a dangerous turn. Suddenly they’re at the center of a hostage situation, and it’s up to them to stop the thugs from becoming hostile. Will Macey’s spy skills and Hale’s con-man ways be enough to outsmart a ruthless gang? Or will they have to seek out the ultimate inside girl to...

Paper Aeroplanes Dawn O'Porter May 2nd 2013 Hot Key Books It's the mid-1990s, and fifteen year-old Guernsey schoolgirls, Renée and Flo, are not really meant to be friends. Thoughtful, introspective and studious Flo couldn't be more different to ambitious, extroverted and sexually curious Renée. But Renée and Flo are united by loneliness and their dysfunctional families, and an intense bond is formed. Although there are obstacles to their friendship (namely Flo's jealous ex-best friend and Renée's growing infatuation with Flo's brother), fifteen is an age where anything can happen, where life stretches out before you, and when every betrayal feels like the end of the world. For Renée and Flo it is the time of their lives. With graphic content and some scenes of a sexual nature, PAPER AEROPLANES is a gritty, poignant, often laugh-out-loud funny and powerful novel. It is an unforgettable snapshot of small-town adolescence and the heart-stopping power of female frie...

Title:  The Geography of You and Me  Author:  Jennifer E. Smith Series:   Standalone Pages:   352 Publisher:  Headline Date of Publication:  15th April, 2014 Source:  Publisher via NetGalley* Synopsis from Goodreads: Lucy and Owen meet somewhere between the tenth and eleventh floors of a New York City apartment building, on an elevator rendered useless by a citywide blackout. After they're rescued, they spend a single night together, wandering the darkened streets and marveling at the rare appearance of stars above Manhattan. But once the power is restored, so is reality. Lucy soon moves to Edinburgh with her parents, while Owen heads out west with his father. Lucy and Owen's relationship plays out across the globe as they stay in touch through postcards, occasional e-mails, and -- finally -- a reunion in the city where they first met. A carefully charted map of a long-distance relationship, Jennifer E. Smith's new novel shows that the ...

Hello everyone! Today is UKYA Day, a part of Project UKYA 's April Extravangaza (I can no longer look at that word without thinking of RuPaul's Drag Race... ELEGANZA EXTRAVANGANZA) dedicated to celebrating UKYA and all it's wonderfulness. So I thought I would take part by just spreading the love for some of my favourite UKYA books and authors! So here are some of my UKYA recs, by genre. Contemporary This is not a numbered list (because I find it incredibly hard to pick favourites. Decision making is not my forte) but if it was than Cat Clarke would probably be number one. On this list.  She would also be number one on a list of people whose books break my heart and ruin my life. Undone in particular is soul destroying. I don't know how much more I can do to convince you to read it. Honestly, it's quite incredible and so powerful and emotional I cannot recommend it enough if you like those sorts of books. However, if you like your contemporary on the lighter side, th...

Title:  More Than This Author:  Patrick Ness Series:   Standalone Pages:   479 Publisher:  Walker Books Date of Publication:  5th September, 2013 Source:  Gifted* Synopsis from Goodreads: A boy drowns, desperate and alone in his final moments. He dies. Then he wakes, naked, bruised and thirsty, but alive. How can this be? And what is this strange, deserted place? As he struggles to understand what is happening, the boy dares to hope. Might this not be the end? Might there be more to this life, or perhaps this afterlife. My Thoughts: First off I just want to say that this book is really strange. Don't get me wrong, I really liked it, but there are lots of moments in it that make you stop and think, "WHAT." when you read them.  I'm not entirely sure how to review it because of this, but I'm gonna do my best.  Bear with me! When this first came out in September last year, there was a huge amount of hype.  Almost every blogger and ...

Love Letters to the Dead Ava Dellaira May 1st 2014 Hot Key Books It begins as an assignment for English class: write a letter to a dead person - any dead person. Laurel chooses Kurt Cobain - he died young, and so did Laurel's sister May - so maybe he'll understand a bit of what Laurel is going through. Soon Laurel is writing letters to lots of dead people - Janis Joplin, Heath Ledger, River Phoenix, Amelia Earhart... it's like she can't stop. And she'd certainly never dream of handing them in to her teacher. She writes about what it's like going to a new high school, meeting new friends, falling in love for the first time - and how her family has shattered since May died. But much as Laurel might find writing the letters cathartic, she can't keep real life out forever. The ghosts of her past won't be contained between the lines of a page, and she will have to come to terms with growing up, the agony of losing a beloved sister, and the realisation that on...

Hello guys! Sorry that I've been so absentee lately, but I promise I will be back soon, and in the meantime here's a really great post from M. Angelais, author of Breaking Butterflies. Please enjoy! :) WHY I WRITE DARK SUBJECT MATTER I’ve always been fascinated by the darker side of things.  Ever since I can remember, it was the villains in my favourite stories and movies, not the heroes, who got my attention and admiration. Infamous historical figures intrigue me. Morbid subjects make me want to learn more. Even to this very day, I make my decision of whether I like a book based on how much the antagonist fascinates me. I can’t turn it off. It’s something that comes naturally to me. And it’s also something that shows quite clearly in my writing.  Every piece of writing I’ve ever done is dark in some way. Every single one. Breaking Butterflies is no exception. Themes of terminal illness, mental illness, psychological abuse, violence, and death are threaded throughout...

Title:  Dandelion Clocks Author:  Rebecca Westcott Series:  Pages:   255 Publisher:  Puffin Date of Publication:  6th March, 2014 Source:  Publisher* Synopsis from back of book: I gather up the first collection of photographs of my mum and flick through... What all these pictures have in common is they show how Mum lives every day - like it really, really matters. Mum's suddenly started giving me life's vital lessons: how to make Bolognese sauce, how to put on make-up, how to make rules my brother can cope with... She's even given me her old diaries. They're really funny - and actually sort of helpful. But I feel like there's something she's not telling me... My Thoughts: Dandelion Clocks is a really great book for young people. It's aimed a lot younger than my usual YA reads, but I enjoyed it hugely nonetheless. Despite tackling a difficult subject matter, Rebecca Westcott has written a brilliant debut that is heartbreaking but still funny at...