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Blog Tour and Giveaway- Keeper of the Bees @megkassel @entangledteen

Keeper of the Bees by Meg Kassel Genre: YA Paranormal Release Date: September 4th 2018 Entangled Teen Summary: “ Beauty and the beast like you’ve never imagined! ” — New York Times bestselling author Pintip Dunn KEEPER OF THE BEES is a tale of two teens who are both beautiful and beastly, and whose pasts are entangled in surprising and heartbreaking ways. Dresden is cursed. His chest houses a hive of bees that he can’t stop from stinging people with psychosis-inducing venom. His face is a shifting montage of all the people who have died because of those stings. And he has been this way for centuries—since he was eighteen and magic flowed through his homeland, corrupting its people. He follows harbingers of death, so at least his curse only affects those about to die anyway. But when he arrives in a Midwest town marked for death, he encounters Essie, a seventeen-year-old girl who suffers from debilitating delusions and hallucinations. His bees want to sting her on sight. But Essie does...

The Secret

Book Review- Blue is the Warmest Colour by Julie Maroh

Title:   Blue is the Warmest Colour / Le bleu est une couleur chaud Author:  Julie Maroh Published:   April 2010 by Glenat Length:  157 pages Warnings:   graphic sex scenes Source: library Other info: This got adapted into a film, La Vie d’Adele, which won the Palme d’Or. Summary :  Clementine is a junior in high school who seems average enough: she has friends, family, and the romantic attention of the boys in her school. When her openly gay best friend takes her out on the town, she wanders into a lesbian bar where she encounters Emma: a punkish, confident girl with blue hair. Their attraction is instant and electric, and Clementine find herself in a relationship that will test her friends, parents, and her own ideas about herself and her identity. Review : Clementine, age fifteen, sees a blue-haired girl in the street one day. Further meetings with this girl, Emma,  leads to attraction, eventually love. I wanted to read this because a) it's a lesbi...

Book Review- This Is Not a Love Story by Keren David

Title: This Is Not A Love Story Author: Keren David Series:   N/A Published:   7 May 2015 by Atom Length: 352 pages Source: library Other info: Keren David has also written the When I Was Joe series (When I Was Joe, Almost True, and Another Life), Salvage, Lisa's Guide to Winning the Lottery, and Cuckoo.  Summary :  Kitty dreams of a beautiful life, but that's impossible in suburban London where her family is haunted by her father's unexpected death. So when her mum suggests moving to Amsterdam to try a new life, Kitty doesn't take much persuading. Will this be her opportunity to make her life picture perfect? In Amsterdam she meets moody, unpredictable Ethan, and clever, troubled Theo. Two enigmatic boys, who each harbour their own secrets. In a beautiful city and far from home, Kitty finds herself falling in love for the first time. But will love be everything she expected? And will anyone's heart survive? Review:  Kitty and Theo have recently moved to Amsterd...

Book Review- Because You'll Never Meet Me by Leah Thomas

First post of 2016! I'm starting as I hope to go on, with a review. Enjoy! Title : Because You'll Never Meet Me Author : Leah Thomas Series : N/A Published : Bloomsbury Children's Books Length : 344 pages Source: Publisher Other info : This is Leah Thomas's debut. A sequel,  currently Nowhere Near You, should come in 2017. Summary : Ollie and Moritz are best friends, but they can never meet. Ollie is allergic to electricity. Contact with it causes debilitating seizures. Moritz’s weak heart is kept pumping by an electronic pacemaker. If they ever did meet, Ollie would seize. But Moritz would die without his pacemaker. Both hermits from society, the boys develop a fierce bond through letters that become a lifeline during dark times—as Ollie loses his only friend, Liz, to the normalcy of high school and Moritz deals with a bully set on destroying him. A story of impossible friendship and hope under strange circumstances, this debut is powerful, dark and humorous in equal ...

Book Review- The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood

Title: The Penelopiad Author: Margaret Atwood Series: Canongate Myths Published:   October 2005 Length:  198 pages Source: library Other info: Atwood has written many things, such as The Blind Assassin, The Handmaid's Tale, and The Heart Goes Last. The Penelopiad was written as part of the Canongate Myths series. Summary : For Penelope, wife of Odysseus, maintaining a kingdom while her husband was off fighting the Trojan war was not a simple business. Already aggrieved that he had been lured away due to the shocking behaviour of her beautiful cousin Helen, Penelope must bring up her wayward son, face down scandalous rumours and keep over a hundred lustful, greedy and bloodthirsty suitors at bay...And then, when Odysseus finally returns and slaughters the murderous suitors, he brutally hangs Penelope's twelve beloved maids. What were his motives? And what was Penelope really up to?  Review: Since her husband Odysseus left to fight in the Trojan War, and then gets caught u...

Book Review- This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp

Title:     This is Where It Ends Author:  Marieke Nijkamp Series:   N/A Published:     5 th January 2016 Length:  292 pages Source: The #TIWIEUKTour organised by Luna of Luna’s Little Library Summary :  10:00 a.m. The principal of Opportunity, Alabama's high school finishes her speech, welcoming the entire student body to a new semester and encouraging them to excel and achieve. 10:02 a.m. The students get up to leave the auditorium for their next class. 10:03 The auditorium doors won't open. 10:05 Someone starts shooting. Told over the span of 54 harrowing minutes from four different perspectives, terror reigns as one student's calculated revenge turns into the ultimate game of survival. Review: This is the story of a school shooting, told as it happens from the perspectives of the shooter's sister Autumn, Autumn's girlfriend Sylv, Sylv's brother Tomás, and the shooter's ex-girlfriend, Claire.  I wanted to read this because it's an amazing ...

Mini Reviews: Rainbow Boys and Shades of Grey

Title: Rainbow Boys   Author: Alex Sanchez Published: October 2001 by Simon and Schuster Source: Bought Review: A look at life for queer teens at the turn in the millenium. I like how some things, such as pressures of coming out, falling in love, and dealing with bullying, are themes that are still relevant today, but it really does seem firmly set in its time place. I also like the fact it shows people in different stages of accepting their sexuality, and various questions related to all of them.  It felt like a gentle story of exploration. Our three main characters discover sexuality, new love, and new experiences.I feel it was probably a great book when it was first published, when the market of books featuring queer characters was very very small. Reading it today, when we have a lot more representation, with a lot more nuanced characters, I felt it was very very tropey- Nelson especially seemed like the archetypal flamboyant gay, with not much else going for him. On a muc...

Snapshot reviews- Firestarter, Only Ever Yours, Firewallers, The Crane Wife

Hi everyone! Firstly, I had a brilliant time at the Sunday of YALC. I got more books than I should have done, and met so many wonderful people. Thank you everyone for a great day! Second, Rebecca is the winner of a signed, unpersonalised copy of The Lost and the Found! I will post it some time this week/  There’s still one unsigned copy to be won... if you're reading this on Saturday 25th, there's a twitter giveaway going on...   Third! I have a giant pile of books I’ve read that I don’t feel I can write fully about.  So I asked Georgia, aka the Bibliomaniac , if I could use her format of very mini reviews (such as here ) and she said yes! Thank you, Georgia!  Here’s a very quick snapshot at some things I’ve been reading...

Book Review: The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson

Title:   The Art of Being Normal Author:  Lisa Williamson Series:   N/A Published:     1 January 2015 by David Fickling Length:  368 pages Source: library Other info: This was Lisa’s debut Summary :  Two boys. Two secrets. David Piper has always been an outsider. His parents think he’s gay. The school bully thinks he’s a freak. Only his two best friends know the real truth – David wants to be a girl. On the first day at his new school Leo Denton has one goal – to be invisible. Attracting the attention of the most beautiful girl in year eleven is definitely not part of that plan. When Leo stands up for David in a fight, an unlikely friendship forms. But things are about to get messy. Because at Eden Park School secrets have a funny habit of not staying secret for long… Review: David, seen by everyone as a boy, really a girl, is continually teased and misunderstood by everyone bar his best friends, from parents to bullies. Leo is the new guy, with rumour...

Book Review- Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

So, it’s Pride Day, or whatever you call the day where really major cities hold their Pride celebrations, being the last weekend of June and thus commemeorating the Stonewall Riots. It’s also the day after the Supreme Court of the USA announced it’s a constiutional right for all people regardless of gender and sexuality to get married if they choose, and states can’t deny this. YAY!! In celebration, here’s a book I read for Faye’s LGBT Readathon and really enjoyed! Title:   Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe Author:  Benjamin Alire Sáenz Series:   N/A Published:     February 2012 by Simon and Schuster Length:  368 pages Source: borrowed from friend Summary :  Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they sha...

Book Review- I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

Title:     I’ll Give You the Sun by Author:  Jandy Nelson Series:   N/A Published:   2 April 2015 by Walker Length:  416 pages Source: library Other info:   Nelson has also written The Sky is Everywhere Summary :  Jude and her twin brother, Noah, are incredibly close. At thirteen, isolated Noah draws constantly and is falling in love with the charismatic boy next door, while daredevil Jude cliff-dives and wears red-red lipstick and does the talking for both of them. But three years later, Jude and Noah are barely speaking. Something has happened to wreck the twins in different and dramatic ways . . . until Jude meets a cocky, broken, beautiful boy, as well as someone else—an even more unpredictable new force in her life. The early years are Noah's story to tell. The later years are Jude's. What the twins don't realize is that they each have only half the story, and if they could just find their way back to one another, they’d have a chance to rema...

Book Review- A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab

Title:  A Darker Shade of Magic Author:  V. E. Schwab Series:   A Darker Shade of Magic #1 Published:   27 February 2015 by Titan Length:    400 pages Source: Publisher Summary :  Most people only know one London; but what if there were several? Kell is one of the last Travelers magicians with a rare ability to travel between parallel Londons. There is Grey London, dirty and crowded and without magic, home to the mad king George III. There is Red London, where life and magic are revered. Then, White London, ruled by whoever has murdered their way to the throne. But once upon a time, there was Black London... Review: Kell is one of the last Antari, a blood magician. As the adopted brother of the prince in Red London, where magic is prized, he hops between the other Londons- White, ruled by a ruthless brother/sister duo, Grey, without magic at all, and occasionally Black, which was wiped out by London, on diplomatic missions. He’s also a smuggler. At som...

Book review and giveaway- Delete by Kim Curran

Today, Faber Academy  and I are kicking off the blog tour for Kim Curran's DELETE! It's had a bit of trouble getting out, due to the closure of Strange Chemistry, but it's coming and it's having a blog tour!  Title:    Delete Author:  Kim Curran Series:     Shift #3 Published:   31 March 2015 by Xist Publishing Length:  230 pages Source: Strange Chemistry ARC Other info: I reviewed Shift and Control and really enjoyed them! I’ve also had Kim over to talk about shifting in real life , and about her other book, Glaze (which I also reviewed ). Summary :  The country is at war. Beset by enemies within and without. And all because of the decisions changed by one boy, Scott Tyler. In this ravaged alternative reality, Scott hardly recognises himself. He's a war hero, a leader of a unit of Shifters and maybe the only one who can prevent the country's frail defences from crumbling. But all Scott wants to do is find a way back to the...

Book Review: Spring Awakening by Frank Wedekind

 Title:  Spring Awakening (Original German title : Frühlings Erwache) Author :  Frank Wedekind, translated by Francis J. Ziegler Series:   N/A Published:     Feb 2012 by Methuen Drama. Written 1890-1. First performed 1906. Length:  192 pages Warnings: rape, suicide, child abuse, and abortion Source: Project Gutenberg Summary from Student edition:  Wedekind's notorious play Spring Awakening influenced a whole trend of modern drama and remains relevant to today's society, exploring the oppression and rebellion of adolescents among draconian parents and morals. This seminal work looks at the conflict between repressive adulthood and teenage sexual longings in a provincial German town. Highly controversial and with themes of sexuality, social attitudes and adolescence, the play is a popular and provocative text for study, especially at undergraduate level.  Review: Late 1800s Germany.  Schoolboys and girls discover sexuality. It really ...

Book Review-The Bunker Diary by Kevin Brooks

Title:   The Bunker Diary Author:  Kevin Brooks Series:   N/A Published:   7 March 2013 by Penguin Length: 268 pages Warnings:   many things. Highlight [start] suicide, murder, quite extreme cruelty [/end] Source: library Other info: The Bunker Diary won the Carnegie Medal in 2014. Summary :  Room meets Lord of the Flies, The Bunker Diary is award-winning, young adult writer Kevin Brooks's pulse-pounding exploration of what happens when your worst nightmare comes true - and how will you survive? I can't believe I fell for it. It was still dark when I woke up this morning. As soon as my eyes opened I knew where I was. A low-ceilinged rectangular building made entirely of whitewashed concrete. There are six little rooms along the main corridor. There are no windows. No doors. The lift is the only way in or out. What's he going to do to me? What am I going to do? If I'm right, the lift will come down in five minutes.  It did. Only this time it wasn't em...

Book Review- Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

Title:   Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda Author:    Becky Albertalli Series:   N/A Published:   7 April 2015 by Penguin Length :  320 pages Source: netgalley Summary :   Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now Simon is actually being blackmailed: if he doesn’t play wingman for class clown Martin, his sexual identity will become everyone’s business. Worse, the privacy of Blue, the pen name of the boy he’s been emailing, will be compromised. With some messy dynamics emerging in his once tight-knit group of friends, and his email correspondence with Blue growing more flirtatious every day, Simon’s junior year has suddenly gotten all kinds of complicated. Now, change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he’s pushed out—without alienating his friends, comp...

Book Review-A Little in Love by Susan Fletcher

  Title:     A Little in Love Author:    Susan Fletcher Series:     N/A Published:   October 2014 by Chicken House Books Length:    288  pages Source:   Cheezyfeet Books Summary :    As a young child Eponine never knew kindness, except once from her family's kitchen slave, Cosette. When at sixteen the girls' paths cross again and their circumstances are reversed, Eponine must decide what that friendship is worth, even though they've both fallen for the same boy. In the end, Eponine will sacrifice everything to keep true love alive. Review:   Eponine Thenadier lies in a Parisian street, seventeen years old, dying.  As she does so, she remembers how her life progressed in such a way from a spoilt childhood and years of cheating and stealing to taking a bullet for the boy she loves. I wanted to read this because I have a love for the musical  of Les Miserables and an appreciation for the book (see here fo...

Book Review- Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Title:   Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief Author:  Rick Riordan Series:   Percy Jackson and the Olympians Published:   May 2005 by Miramax,  May 2006 by Puffin Length:  377 pages Source: bought and library Other info: Many other series such as The Heroes of Olympus and the Kane Chronicles have stemmed off. There was a film adaptation of The Lightning Thief. Summary :  Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can't seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. And lately, being away at boarding school is only getting worse-Percy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him. When Percy's mom finds out, she knows it's time that he knew the truth about where he came from, and that he go to the one place he'll be safe. She sends Percy to Camp Half Blood, a summer camp for demigods (on Long Island), where he learns that the father he never knew is Poseidon, God of the Sea. Soon a mystery unfolds and together w...

Book Review: The Bubble Wrap Boy by Phil Earle

Title:   The Bubble Wrap Boy Author:    Phil Earle Series:     N/A Published:   1 May 2014 by Penguin Length:    272 pages Source: library Other info: Earle has also written Heroic, Being Billy, and Saving Daisy Summary :   All my life I've been tiny Charlie from the Chinese Chippie, whose only friend is Sinus, the kid who stares at walls. But I believe that everyone's good at something. I've just got to work out what my something is... Charlie's found his secret talent: skateboarding. It's his one-way ticket to popularity. All he's got to do is practice, and nothing's going to stop him - not his clumsiness, not his overprotective mum, nothing. Except Charlie isn't the only one in his family hiding a massive secret, and his next discovery will change everything. How do you stay on the board when your world is turned upside down? Review: Charlie Han is the boy from the Chinese takaway shop, with an overprotective mother and only one...

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