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 with his friends -- one a satyr and the other the demigod daughter of Athena -- Percy sets out on a quest across the United States to reach the gates of the Underworld (located in a recording studio in Hollywood) and prevent a catastrophic war between the gods.

Review: Percy Jackson is a mostly normal child. Yes, he has trouble concentrating and keeps getting thrown out of schools but mostly, he's ok. Until, on this school trip, it looks like he'll get thrown out because his maths teacher wants to kill him. And he vaporises her with a sword. More things happen, and Percy ends up at Camp Half Blood, with satyrs, demigods, and a centaur of a Latin teacher. And a quest. Because Zeus is angry. And things get better from there.

I love this series from the bottom of my heart. I read it first when I was eight or nine, maybe? I don't know, but I wanted a book and I asked my dad for recommendations in Waterstones and he picked this off the shelves and I fell in love with it when I read the chapter titles. Add the fact that I already had a love of Greek mythology and you can see how this is going to work out.

I reread this because my reading aim for 2015 is to work my way through all of Rick Riordan's demigod series and this is the first one.

The world of this is wonderful. The Gods are alive and kicking and operating out of the USA, doing what they've always done in a more modern way. This "what they've always done" includes having children with mortals, thus necessitating Camp Half Blood, a safe place to train and live without fear of monsters.

The characters  are well fleshed out and great to read about. The new takes on mythology are genius, especially when you notice the clever ways little things are updated'. You just fall in love with all the characters- Percy for his determination to keep trying, Grover for his determination to keep trying, Annabeth for her cleverness and levelheadedness, Chiron for his general badassery of being both a centaur and a Latin teacher...the list goes on.

They adventure in such a way that we meet a variety of creatures from Greek myth. I must say, when I first read it, I felt so proud of myself for being to guess ahead as to who this threat was, and I also enjoyed learning about new aspects of mythology too.

The writing describes well, but has a huge dose of humour. Case in point: chapter titles. But I loved the sheer amount of fun that this book was, comparatively speaking to everything else I was reading.

The  plot keeps running in new direction throughout the whole novel. The twists at the end where we learn how the thing got in, I  did not see coming the first time I read it. It was foreshadowed so perfectly and the way it all came round made me happy.

Overall:  Strength 5 tea to  a strong opening to a brilliant series.

Links:  Amazon| Goodreads | Author website |

Book Review- Spireseeker by E.D.E. Bell

Title: Spireseeker

 Author: E. D. E. Bell

Series:  Spireseeker #1

Published:  October 2013

Length:472 pages

Source: author

Summary : Spireseeker is an epic fantasy tale by debut novelist E.D.E. Bell in which the heroine, Beryl, is forced from the only home she's ever known and must discover her true identity in order to confront one of her own kind, before the evil Aegra is able to enslave all of Fayen’s creatures.

Please join us in sharing this creative new novel about Beryl, a young elf who discovers that she is not who she thinks she is but instead is looked to as the one remaining hope to save her home. Communicating with the diverse creatures of the land, Beryl and her unlikely companion march through mountains, forests, and deserts to defeat evil—even as that evil seeks to destroy them first. Though a classic fantasy tale, we promise this one will be unlike any you've read. Experience it today!

Review: Beryl believes herself to be a normal girl until she is able to heal her grandomther when she is badly wounded, and she is told that  she is an elf. And not just any elf. She  has a unicorn’s blessing, enabling her to do the healing, and is also believed to be the one to  free the land of Fayen from the grasp of Aegra, who uses her blessing to manipulate loyalty to help her eliminate the other elves.

The fantasy world is different to those I’ve met before. Each elf can be blessed by an animal that gives them a unique gift, which I liked learning about. 

I really liked the characters. Beryl and her healing powers and Kick, the human companion, were fun to read about and get to know. The culture ofthe elves was fully developed and so were all the other cultures of animals. I quite liked the fact that the nonhumanoid characters played a larger part than they often do in other high fantasy stories.  

The writing style is simple, with more formal language during the council meetings  and more modern language occasionally that feels out of place.

Pacingwise, it starts off well, introducing new powers, new ideas and new quests for Beryl quickly. The middle is quite slow, It picks up towards the end, when Aegra finally appears more after an introduction at the very start followed by 70% of Beryl’s adventures. I think it would have been nice to see her a bit more, to break up the  sameness of the visiting various groups of animals and the discussing in the council, which does get a bit boring after some time. The action scenes were better  written than the talky ones.  

Overall:  Strength 3 tea to a fantasy with great characters but was really dragged out in the middle.

Links: Amazon | Goodreads | Author website | 

Book Review- Fire and Flood by Victoria Scott

Title: Fire and Flood

 Author: Victoria Scott

Series:  Fire and Flood #1

Published:  25 February 2014 by Chicken House

Length: 336 pages

Source: publisher

Other info: Book 2 will be called Salt and Stone. I highly approve of the alliteration.

Summary :  Tella Holloway is losing it. Her brother is sick, and when a dozen doctors can't determine what's wrong, her parents decide to move to Montana for the fresh air. She's lost her friends, her parents are driving her crazy, her brother is dying—and she's helpless to change anything.

Until she receives mysterious instructions on how to become a Contender in the Brimstone Bleed. It's an epic race across jungle, desert, ocean, and mountain that could win her the prize she desperately desires: the Cure for her brother's illness. But all the Contenders are after the Cure for people they love, and there's no guarantee that Tella (or any of them) will survive the race.

The jungle is terrifying, the clock is ticking, and Tella knows she can't trust the allies she makes. And one big question emerges: Why have so many fallen sick in the first place.

Review: Tella’s brother is dying. Her parents move them all out to the remote areas of the land, away from all civilisation. Still, Tella receives a blue box inviting her to the Brimstone Bleed, a competition taking place in jungle, desert, sea and mountains, the winner receiving the Cure for any illness whatsoever. Tella accepts it, and finds herself in a competition a where everyone wants to win.

 I’ve heard lots of people compare to The Hunger Games. This is accurate.  One person wins only. People die. People really want to win. Happy upbeat announcer at all stages of the game. I like the added motivation for competitors of the chance to have the chance to save a loved one.  

 The Pandoras, protector animals that have been created specially to help the competitors, are essentially  were pokemon, but a little more normal. I loved Madox, and the fact that the differing ways people treated their Pandoras said quite a lot  about them.

I didn’t really care much for the characters, apart from Cody (dying brother who is absent for most of the novel) and the twins. Tella doesn’t really do much compared to other dystopian and survival heroes, instead, love interest Guy does most of it. Not saying boys can’t do things, but for a heroine, it would be  nice if she did more than tag along.

It was fun to read in some places. Tella’s voice is funny, and the story moves through the areas quite quickly.

I’d like to know more about the world. Technology must have advanced somewhat to get Pandoras, but other than that, we don’t know how the world differs to ours. There’s hints of it towards the end, but I’d like to see more in future.

Overall:  Strength 3 tea to a book that is quite like The Hunger Games, but with added pokemon and less strong characters.

Links: Amazon | Goodreads | Author website |

Book Review- Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger

Title:  Ettiquette and Espionage

Author:   Gail Carriger

Series:  Finishing School #1

Published:  5 February 2013 by Atom

Length: 312 pages

Source: Bought

Other info:  Gail has written the amazing Parasol Protectorate series.

Summary : It's one thing to learn to curtsy properly. It's quite another to learn to curtsy and throw a knife at the same time. Welcome to Finishing School.

Fourteen-year-old Sophronia is a great trial to her poor mother. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper manners—and the family can only hope that company never sees her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. So she enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.

But Sophronia soon realizes the school is not quite what her mother might have hoped. At Mademoiselle Geraldine's, young ladies learn to finish...everything. Certainly, they learn the fine arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but they also learn to deal out death, diversion, and espionage—in the politest possible ways, of course. Sophronia and her friends are in for a rousing first year's education.

Review:  Sophronia Temminnick is not ladylike at all. So her mother sends her to Finishing School.  Madamoiselle Geraldine’s Finishing School. It’s not your typical one. It’s a dirigible. And the lessons, well, there might be lessons  like household management and dancing, but there’s also things like how to kill things. Sophronia’s school year is going to be… interesting.

I loved the Parasol Protectorate series with all my heart. I could not wait for this.

Sophronia is very cool before the main events happen. I think that when she gets to Finishing School, she is overshadowed by all the other, much more varied characters such as the eccentric teachers and random supernaturals. I felt a real affinity for Sidheag, probably because I know her story and how she ends up. I loved Vieve with all of my heart, because from the first time she showed up, I knew who she was and I love her from the Parasol Protectorate series and…yeah *dissolves into fangirling at  the nine year old version of my joint favourite character*  I also really liked Soap, the guy who works to keep the ship afloat, along with some of the other guys.

It starts very quickly. It slows down a little at times, but the adventure increases steadily and is a lot of fun. Main plot comes to focus in the second half.

Carrriger’s sharp, witty and wordy writing style is carried through into this. I’m not sure if the wordy style fits so much for a younger audience, but I liked it. It’s less laugh out loud than Heartless and Timeless, but still  great comedy, with wonderful lines like “Preshea can’t wait until she gets to poison her first husband.”

Overall:  Strength 3.5 tea, more a 3, to a fun adventure, that’s missing a little of why I fell in love with this universe.

Links: Amazon | Goodreads | Author website | 

Book Review-The Pirate's Wish by Cassandra Rose Clarke

Title: The Pirate’s Wish

 Author:  Cassandra Rose Clarke

Series:  The Assassin’s Curse #2

Published:  4 June 2013 by Strange Chemistry

Length: 336 pages

Warnings: violence, fade to black sex scene

Source: netgalley

Other info: The Assassin’s Curse was reviewed here.

Summary : After setting out to break the curse that binds them together, the pirate Ananna and the assassin Naji find themselves stranded on an enchanted island in the north with nothing but a sword, their wits, and the secret to breaking the curse: complete three impossible tasks. With the help of their friend Marjani and a rather unusual ally, Ananna and Naji make their way south again, seeking what seems to be beyond their reach. Unfortunately, Naji has enemies from the shadowy world known as the Mists, and Ananna must still face the repercussions of going up against the Pirate Confederation. Together, Naji and Ananna must break the curse, escape their enemies and come to terms with their growing romantic attraction.

Review: The Pirate’s Wish picks up straight after The Assassin’s Curse. Ananna has realised her feelings for Naji, and they set about completing their three impossible tasks. After being picked up by friend Marjani and a manticore (how awesome is that?!), they travel south, trying to find ways of completing these things. As they are chased by pirates wanting vengeance and beings from the Mists,  they wonder if it’s going to be possible to break the curse, and also what they’ll do if they manage it.

I really enjoyed The Assassin’s Curse, and was looking forwards to this one. We spend a lot of time in The Pirate’s Wish in different lands to last time, with visits to manticore societies, and  to courts, and a lot of time on a pirate ship.

My favourite character was either Ananna, who was just as smart and sassy as in the  first book, and learning a little more magic and figuring out what she wants to do regarding all this,  or the manticore, who had a funny retort for everything when we first met her, often regarding eating people.

I loved the fact they just get hold of a boat and command it and the intercrew dynamics are both funny and touching as it really defines  the friendship bond between Ananna, Naji and Marjani.

The story gets resolved in an unbelievable way. Magic comes into it, and it really works for the way it was set up. The very end was a little sad, but I can see a lot of adventures in Ananna’s future.

I said in my review of The Pirate’s Wish that I think Angry Robot should do an omnibus edition of this series. I’m glad that it wasn’t cut down, because the story here is so full and the happennings so good that if we lost it, then it’d be a shame. But  it did seem like The Assassin’s  Curse was just cut off midway, and as this is a direct follow on, I think I’d prefer to read the whole story in one sitting, megabook or not.

Overall:  Strength 4 tea to a fitting end to this series. Looking forwards to more from Cassandra!

Links: Amazon | Goodreads | Author website | 

Book Review- Department 19: Battle Lines by Will Hill

Title: Department 19: Battle Lines

 Author: Will Hill

Series:  Department 19 #3

Published:  28 March 2013 by Harpercollins

Warnings: a LOT of Graphic Violence

Source: netgalley

Other info: Book one, Department 19 was reviewed here and book two, Department 19:The Rising was reviewed here. Book four should exist some day. There’s a set of novellas.

Summary : It's always darkest before dawn.
Secret government unit Department 19 is recovering from evil vampire Valeri Rusmanov's deadly attack on their base. The Department’s newest member, teenage operator Jamie Carpenter, is tasked with training up a new squad, as his friends and colleagues desperately search for ways to try to stop what is coming.
The timing couldn’t be worse for a coordinated, global attack on a number of maximum security prisons and hospitals—with the already-dangerous inmates now on the loose and turned into vampires. One of the escapees has a deep connection to one of the darkest moments in the history of Department 19 and embarks on a quest that threatens to expose the existence of vampires to the public. And with each day that passes, the regenerated Dracula gets stronger, bringing Zero Hour closer.

Review:  The book begins with a load of prisoners and mental patients becoming vampires and breaking free. Of these newly made vampires, Albert Harker, enlists the help of some journalists to expose the world of Vampires. Also, there is a traitor within the department, and Kate and Paul have the task of finding them. Also, there are 52 days to Zero Hour.

I love this series. There’s so much happening, so many characters  to take into account of. Also, the stakes (no pun intended) are always so so high that you can’t stop reading. There’s quite a few subplots woven into this that contribute to the panic of the Department.

The characters, both new and recurring, ware continually well developed. I liked meeting the new vampires, and seeing how their existence affects the Department.  Albert and Mckenna were very interesting. I really liked seeing Larissa on her own, growing even more and finding new things and being independent and such. The splitting up of the main teens lets them develop really well.

It’s really fast paced. Like in the Rising, the action changes settings and focus often, keeping you both engaged and on your toes and reminding you that the situation is crazy for everyone. The action doesn’t stop for one moment, which is amazing for 700 pages of it and the action literally beginning on page one.

I love the length of this series. But I am thinking... how  long is this series going to be? Somewhere it said four books, but I really can’t see that happening. Not without skipping a whole load of stuff. Or letting book 4 qualify as a murder weapon.

Overall:  Strength 4 tea to another great instalment in one of my favourite series.

Links: Amazon | Goodreads | Author website |

Book Review-The Assassin's Curse by Cassandra Rose Clarke

Title: The Assassin’s Curse

 Author: Cassandra Rose Clarke

Series:  The Assassin’s Curse #1

Published:  2 October 2012 by Strange Chemistry

Length: 320 pages

Source: netgalley

Other info: The sequel, The Pirate’s Wish, should be out this year. There’s a novella called The Witch’s Betrayal. Cassandra also wrote The Mad Scientist’s Daughter.

Summary :  Ananna of the Tanarau abandons ship when her parents try to marry her off to an allying pirate clan: she wants to captain her own boat, not serve as second-in-command to her handsome yet clueless fiance. But her escape has dire consequences when she learns the scorned clan has sent an assassin after her.
And when the assassin, Naji, finally catches up with her, things get even worse. Ananna inadvertently triggers a nasty curse — with a life-altering result. Now Ananna and Naji are forced to become uneasy allies as they work together to break the curse and return their lives back to normal. Or at least as normal as the lives of a pirate and an assassin can be.

Review:  Ananna’s parents have arranged a marriage to Tarrin. She’s not very happy about this. And so she steals a camel and runs away. Tarrin’s family aren’t very happy about this. They send an assassin about her. then she accidentally saves his life, binding them together. They go on a quest to sort this out.

From the first few pages, I’d decided I liked Ananna. Throughout, she’s very strong, stands up for herself, and is generally awesome and independent. Naji is really very adorable. He’s also mysterious, and there’s lots of things to learn about.

Together, they work excellently together. Their first encounter is not quiet and calm, but there’s a lot of them getting used to eachother, and also a lot of action. I like the fact that the romance is very slow-Ananna doesn’t realise she’s in love for ages.

Ananna has a really distinctive voice/dialect/way of speaking. It didn’t take me long to get used to it, and that’s part of what made me love her- I could imagine her, sitting next to me, talking at me. It’s not very often that I can literally hear a character/narration. But it happened here.

I love the mix of pirates, assassins and magic. Also, the physical/cultural setting-the mix of middle eastern culture plus the desert is a really magical place to be in. I really really loved this world.

I like where it ended. And I didn’t. It ends at a natural place, which is a good set up for The Pirate’s Wish. But at the same time, it’s sudden, it hasn’t wound down to a stopping point for one  book, and if you hadn’t decided you were going to read The Pirate’s Wish, you may be a bit let down by the ending. You’re expecting more things to happen but it just cuts off. I think Strange Chemistry should release an omnibus edition to improve the flow some day.

I’m sorry this review is so short. Actually, it's not too bad, but I feel there's more I should be able to say about this book.. You know there's just that quality to some books where it’s just “I love this because reasons which I cannot articulate?” this book has it in spades.

Overall:  Strength 5 tea to a magical adventure with excellent characters.

Links: Amazon | Goodreads | Author website |

Book Review- Giant Thief by David Tallerman

Title: Giant Thief

 Author: David Tallerman

Series:  Tales of Easie Damasco #1

Published:  21 January 2012 by Angry Robot

Length: 400 pages

Source: publisher

Other info: The second tale of Easie Damasco is Crown Thief, out now. David has written other things.  

Summary : Meet Easie Damasco, rogue, thieving swine and total charmer. Even the wicked can't rest when a vicious warlord and the force of enslaved giants he commands invade their homeland. Damasco might get away in one piece, but he's going to need help.  Big time.

Review: Easie Damasco is about to be hanged. He is saved when the warlord Moardrid  comes along and orders him freed, even if it is just to be put in the army. But anyway. There he meets Saltlick, a giant who is twice the size of a man, and ends up becoming Saltlick’s carer, handler, friend on the journey to get Saltlick back to his home. But it’s not all that easy/ Maoradrid’s men are after a stone, the owner of which has the power to control the giants. And he thinks that Easie might have it.

I don’t remember when I requested this, but upon starting to read, I could see why. Giants and a quest aren’t totally original, but I loved it here. Good adventures are always great stories to get lost in-and multiple times more interesting than a rugby match.

Easie is instantly likeable-rogue, young, witty. Saltlick is a little strange to start with, but it’s not long until you fall in love with him. He’s like an intelligent pet, but much more than that. Estrada, the mayor of small town Muena Palaiya, is a strong woman who keeps going through pretty much everything. It is annoying that she’s the only recurring woman though (what is it with fantasy having almost single sex cast sometimes?)

There’s a lot of supporting characters who turn up and disappear for various reasons. They aren’t always nice, but they’re realistic and do well in the story. You really get to know them as they go through everything, and you get to care for them.

I loved the giant civilisation so much. It’s built up well with hints throughout, but when you get there, it really does feel like we’re in a new foreign country. The rest of the world setting is really good too.

As I said, it’s not totally original, but there’s so much fun and adventure that it really doesn’t matter.

Overall:  Strength 3 tea to a fantasy adventure with a wellbuilt cast and characters/

Links: Amazon | Goodreads | Author website | 

Book Review- Fever Crumb by Philip Reeve

Title: Fever Crumb

 Author: Philip Reeve

Series:  Fever Crumb #1

Published:  5 May 2009

Length: 326 pages

Source: Sarah!

Other info:  This got shortlisted for the Carnegie!

Summary : Fever Crumb is a girl who has been adopted and raised by Dr. Crumb, a member of the order of Engineers, where she serves as apprentice. In a time and place where women are not seen as reasonable creatures, Fever is an anomaly, the only female to serve in the order.
Soon though, she must say goodbye to Dr. Crumb - nearly the only person she's ever known - to assist archeologist Kit Solent on a top-secret project. As her work begins, Fever is plagued by memories that are not her own and Kit seems to have a particular interest in finding out what they are. Fever has also been singled out by city-dwellers who declare her part Scriven.
The Scriveners, not human, ruled the city some years ago but were hunted down and killed in a victorious uprising by the people. If there are any remaining Scriven, they are to be eliminated.
All Fever knows is what she's been told: that she is an orphan. Is Fever a Scriven? Whose memories does she hold? Is the mystery of Fever, adopted daughter of Dr. Crumb, the key to the secret 

that lies at the heart of London?

Review: Scriven are speckled, pale, speckled creatures, who ruled London for years. A baby girl is left on a doorstep, with a label explaining that “her name is Fever”. She grows up as an engineer, the first female one, until she is asked to go and help someone. Kit Solent, archaeologist, wants Fever to help him with the treasure trove he’s found. Why? Because he thinks that she’s the one who can be used to unlock the secrets of Scriven Auric Godshawk.  Also, there are people who believe that Fever is a Scrivien herself, and are willing to kill her for it.

This is the first I’ve read of anything to do with Fever Crumb or the Traction Cities series. I like the idea of the walking cities, but we weren't quite there yet. Instead we get a world that isn’t typically steampunk due to its lack of technology, but is definitely distinctive. There’s lots of clever references to today’s world, with Fever’s world being built on the remains of outs in terms of language and culture.

The scriven are a subspecies who, after believing themselves to be superior, took over London and ruled it until the humans revolted. The plot with  Charley and Creech attempting to kill fever was a good plot  What was more interesting was the history of the Scirven and their interactions with the humans, especially the backstory with Doctor Crumb and Wavey, the Scriven princess.

Fever was a bit annoying at the start. Because her upbringing made her aloof and uncaring for art and fun. I did warm up to her with time though. I really liked the fact that she was clever and inquisitive, and I liked seeing her discover her own secrets.I also  really liked Kit for some reason. I would have liked to get into the characters heads more.

Plotwise, it changes tack quite a bit. I think that the climax of Londoners vs Movement was good, but not amazing. Other plot points were really fascinating.

I have no knowledge of the Hungry Cities main series. I can’t comment  on Fever Crumb’s effectiveness as a prequel. As a prelude to another time set of this world, with a lot more things developed, I’ll definitely read Mortal Engines one day.

Overall:  Strength 3 tea to an original steampunkworld I'd love to see more of.

Links: Amazon | Goodreads | Author website | 

Book Review- Ack Ack Macaque by Gareth L Powell

Title: Ack-Ack Macaque

 Author: Gareth L Powell

Series:  Ack-Ack Macaque #1

Published:  25 December 2012 by Solaris

Length: 416 pages

Source: publisher

Other info: There will be a sequel, called Hive Moon. Gareth has written other things.

Summary : In 1944, as waves of German ninjas parachute into Kent, Britain's best hopes for victory lie with a Spitfire pilot codenamed 'Ack-Ack Macaque'. The trouble is, Ack-Ack Macaque is a cynical, one-eyed, cigar-chomping monkey, and he's starting to doubt everything, including his own existence. A century later, in a world where France and Great Britain merged in the late 1950s and nuclear-powered Zeppelins encircle the globe, ex-journalist Victoria Valois finds herself drawn into a deadly game of cat and mouse with the man who butchered her husband and stole her electronic soul. Meanwhile, in Paris, after taking part in an illegal break-in at a research laboratory, the heir to the British throne goes on the run. And all the while, the doomsday clock ticks towards Armageddon

Review: It’s 2059. France and Britain have merged and are doing quite well, aside from the fact that King William is in hospital following injury in an explosion, Victoria Valois has bene called back to London following the brutal murder of her husband, and soon finds herself caught up in a conspiracy theroy involving a flight to Mars. Merovech, heir to the British throne, is on the run after breaking into a research lab with his girlfriend, Julie. And there is a soldier called Ack-Ack Macaque, whose job it is to fly spitfires and take down German bombers. He’s also an eye-patch-wearing, cigar-smoking, monkey. All kinds of fun!

The premise of a non-humanoid (kind of...do monkeys count as humanoid? Do human count as monkey-oid? I don’t know. Anyway.) main character got me hooked. Then I started  it, and decided it would be a good read. Probably because in this alternative timeline, the United Kingdom encompasses France, ireland, and Noraway. What did we get to get Norway? Norway is cool.Britain is cool. The global pollitics state of Ack-Ack Macaque is generally cool.

The first chapter includes Paul’s very very brutal murder. His brain was cut out. as well as this being a gruesome thing to happen to someone, it also reasises a lot of quesitons, to get Victoria investigating, and us reading. 

I like the idea of Soul catchers, but I also don’t, if you get my drift. The idea of the technology that can record every facet of your memories and your personality is interesting, but the idea of actually doing that is a bit disturbing. Without the soul catcher, we wouldn’t have Paul, or at least a version of him. With the limited view we get of him (he spends most of Ack-Ack Macaque as a program in Victoria’s head), I felt I just want to hug you.

We have a cast of excellent main characters. VIctoria is amazingly resiliant, considering what she goes through. She’s a fighter, and takes care of herself, even when she’s really really beaten and cut up, and she is a really good heroine. Merovech and Julie. Shipping so hard! They are adorable and work well together, and hugs to them. And then there’s Ack-Ack Macaque.  He is now one of my favourite characters. His cynical outlook and generaly attitude to life is one you won’t forget.

The minor characters are good as well. You get the captain of an airship, the Commodore (or variant of that name), who you get attached to in the way that Victoria did. There’s K-8, a clever young girl who works with Ack-Ack Macaque. And there’s a whole lot more  antagonists that keep the major plot rolling.

It takes a bit of time for everoyne to meet. It’s nice, as it keeps you wondering how everyhting fits together, and at the smae time, it’s annoying, because you’re wondering how it a fits together. The three threads meet fully about halfway trough the book. When they do, you realise how important what they are doing is, not only on a full scale, but also on a personal level-everyone’s got reasons to hate Celeste Technologies.

Overall:  Strength 5 tea to a book with an excellent setting and cast. Definitely want the sequel.

Links: Amazon | The Book Depository | Goodreads | Author website | 

Book Review- Katya's World by Jonathan L Howard

Title: Katya’s World

 Author: Jonathan L Howard

Series:  Russalka Chronicles #1

Published:   6 November by Strange Chemistry

Length: 339 pages

Source: Publisher

Other info: Jonathan has also written the Johannes Cabal series. I reviewed Johannes Cabal, Necromancer here!

Summary : The distant and unloved colony world of Russalka has no land, only the raging sea. No clear skies, only the endless storm clouds. Beneath the waves, the people live in pressurised environments and take what they need from the boundless ocean. It is a hard life, but it is theirs and they fought a war against Earth to protect it. But wars leave wounds that never quite heal, and secrets that never quite lie silent.
Katya Kuriakova doesn’t care much about ancient history like that, though. She is making her first submarine voyage as crew; the first nice, simple journey of what she expects to be a nice, simple career.
There is nothing nice and simple about the deep black waters of Russalka, however; soon she will encounter pirates and war criminals, see death and tragedy at first hand, and realise that her world’s future lies on the narrowest of knife edges. For in the crushing depths lies a sleeping monster, an abomination of unknown origin, and when it wakes, it will seek out and kill every single person on the planet.

Review: Katya Kuriakova lives on Russalka, a distant planet submerged in stormy seas. On her first submarine journey as one of the crew, her sub gets hijacked by an official wanting a war criminal transported. After this, she gets taken on an adventure, getting involved in leftovers from a war against Earth, pirates, and a living ship threatening to kill everyone on the planet.

I went into this not realising that it was by the guy who also wrote Johannes Cabal. Anyway, this book is completely different. You can’t really call it steampunk, because of the lack of steam, but it fits into the genre of old style, futuristic technology with a really cool story to go with it.

It all starts really quickly and doesn’t really slow down throughout. The first twist/big thing happens at the end of the second chapter and then they  keep coming.

Katya is clever, resourceful and brave. She also seems a bit older than 15. Kane is a really intriguing character. You start off disliking him because of the way he gets introduced, then you learn his history and he does various things and you think he’s not so bad, and then you find him doing something and you dislike him, but then he does other stuff and your liking levels fluctuate a lot.

The supporting cast are generally awesome. My favourite character is Tasya, the She-Devil. She’s a very fierce character who is actually rather nice considering her reputation. Lukyan I really liked for some reason. Petrov and Tokarov are also really interesting, and I think that they all at parts overshadow Katya in terms of coolness.

The technology in Katya’s world is generally fantastic. The submarine setting is good, but the best thing about this book hands down is the Leviathan. Summed up in one quote: “The great warship was insane”. I love the way it was used, for thrills and excitement, and a living ship is one of the best concepts I’ve seen around.

At some point, there’s a bit where Katya and Kane have “waves crashing far below them”.  I thought the planet was underwater. I thought the whole planet was underwater? Does this mean they’re in space? This bit I didn’t really get. The ending was a bit odd in places, but I really liked tjhe chapter with Pretrov-sets it up nicely for another book.

The other thing I really liked about this: NO ROMANCE WHATSOEVER. Probably because aside from our female protagonist, everyone is over thirty, or at least late twenties and so any romance would be awkward. Katya’s World is so full of action, there’s no time plotwise for a romantic subset.

Overall:  Strength 4 tea. I didn’t really like our main character, but aside from that, awesomeness all round!

Links: Amazon | Goodreads | Author website | 

Book Review- Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Title: Ready Player One

 Author: Ernest Cline

Series:  N/A

Published:  5 April 2012 by Arrow

Length: 384 pages

Warnings: violence, sex references, 13+

Source: Library

Other info: Ernest has also written a set of poems about his life. Ernest is also running a similar contest onlne, for adults in the USA, but not Florida and Columbia, and the prize is a car.

Summary : It’s the year 2044, and the real world is an ugly place. Like most of humanity, Wade Watts escapes his grim surroundings by spending his waking hours jacked into the OASIS, a sprawling virtual utopia that lets you be anything you want to be, a place where you can live and play and fall in love on any of ten thousand planets. And like most of humanity, Wade dreams of being the one to discover the ultimate lottery ticket that lies concealed within this virtual world. For somewhere inside this giant networked playground, OASIS creator James Halliday has hidden a series of fiendish puzzles that will yield massive fortune—and remarkable power—to whoever can unlock them.  Like many of his contemporaries, Wade is as comfortable debating the finer points of John Hughes’s oeuvre, playing Pac-Man, or reciting Devo lyrics as he is scrounging power to run his OASIS rig.And then Wade stumbles upon the first puzzle.Suddenly the whole world is watching, and thousands of competitors join the hunt—among them certain powerful players who are willing to commit very real murder to beat Wade to this prize. Now the only way for Wade to survive and preserve everything he knows is to win.  A world at stake. A quest for the ultimate prize. Are you ready?

Review:  Wade is a Gunter. One of many who, since the death of Virtual Reality OASIS's CEO and founder Halliday, has been hunting for Easter eggs scattered all over the virtual galaxy. Finding them, and keys and gates before any other Gunter means that they will gain inheritance of OASIS. Many a dedicated Gunter wants this. But as well as playing against OASIS, they're playing against IOI, a company that will do anything to win-even kill.

From the start, I was pulled in. It's a premise that's different from anything I've read before, except maybe Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and that didn't take part on a computer generated universe.

The 2040s world is built up quickly, explaining what went wrong in the 10s, and how Earth went downhill from there. The concept behind the Hunt and the OASIS is also quickly explained, and is easy to pick up.

You get a large cast of characters. Wade is our protagonist, appearing in OASIS as Parzival. In addition to him is Art3mis, well known Gunter with a highly successful blog, best friend Aech(despite never meeting in real life)and Japanese duo Daito and Shoto. None of them are who you think they'd be when you meet them properly, but Aech, Art3mis and Wade are built up really well, and I got really attached to all five gunters, even though for the majority of the novel, we know four of them as online avatars.

Wade is clever, resourceful, thinks outside the box and is very likable. Once IOI make their intentions clear, he does quite well at staying one step ahead of them, and is obviously very dedicated to the hunt. He's also gone through major character development by the end, with a really cute ending. 

Although most of Ready Player One is set in OASIS, the cuts to the real world are great. They give a sense of reality, and remind you that there's a person playing this game. What I don't understand is if they're in the middle of an energy crisis, why are they, as in the whole world, stuck on a computer?

Not that I blame them. In Oasis, anything could happen. Most of what we see is connected to 80s geek culture. Dungeons and Dragons and other video games are the most prevalent, but for anyone who grew up in the 80s or who has/had an obsession with that time, this is amazing. And if you didn't, it's still amazing. Not knowing the D&D games inside out isn't a problem for the reader, because Wade does. There's so many references to so much stuff, it's unbelievable. And while it's less than 400 pages, there's so much happening (both storywise and to do with the fact the print and spacing is small) that it seems so much longer. In a good way.

And the whole scale of it all...as I said, IOI will kill for the win, a fact that's made clear once Wade gets a lead. The stakes are so high, the writing so gripping, the characters so engaging, the plot so exciting, that it's impossible to tear yourself away.

Overall:  Strength 5 tea to a truly epic story that everyone will find something to love in.

 Links: Amazon | The Book Depository | Goodreads | Author website | 

Book Review- Insignia by S. J. Kincaid

Title: Insignia

 Author: S.J. Kincaid

Series:  Insignia #1

Published:  2 August 2012

Length: 444 pages

Warnings:  violence, romance, suggestive situation 12+

Source: publishers

Other info: This is S.J’s first novel.

Summary : More than anything, Tom Raines wants to be important, though his shadowy life is anything but that. For years, Tom’s drifted from casino to casino with his unlucky gambler of a dad, gaming for their survival. Keeping a roof over their heads depends on a careful combination of skill, luck, con artistry, and staying invisible.
 Then one day, Tom stops being invisible. Someone’s been watching his virtual-reality prowess, and he’s offered the incredible—a place at the Pentagonal Spire, an elite military academy. There, Tom’s instincts for combat will be put to the test, and if he passes, he’ll become a member of the Intrasolar Forces, helping to lead his country to victory in World War Three. Finally, he’ll be someone important: a superhuman war machine with the tech skills that every virtual-reality warrior dreams of. Life at the Spire holds everything that Tom’s always wanted—friends, the possibility of a girlfriend, and a life where his every action matters—but what will it cost him?

Review: Tom Raines, fourteen years old, spending life in a virtual reality parlour, trying to win a living. His life isn’t really going well...until one day, he’s picked out to join the Combatants-teen soldiers fighting World War III.  But it’s not like they’re going out getting killed-they’re safe on Earth. As WWIII is fought by robots in space. He soon fits in with friends, makes enemies, and gets by in the way that teenagers do in a stepped up boarding school. But then Tom starts finding out things about the other side. And then questions the rules.

I was expecting something good. I got even better. We skip easily through Tom’s normal VR gambling life, and soon end up at the US Military base. Action happens frequently, friendship bonding happening between that.

The school-style setting is really nice, and you get the stock characters that go with it-the couple that may or may not get together, the bully, the insane teacher. But this being Insignia, we get a technological twist on all of these. For example, one of the assignments is to use viruses on your fellow classmates.

Tom, Vik, Wyatt and Yuri make a great friendship group. Vik especially knows what to say, what to do, and the one that everyone loves. I’d love to be part of this world just so I oculd have friends like these.

I don’t normally enjoy romance, but Wyatt and Yuri make such a perfect pair. Yuri, with all the suspicion surrounding him due to his Russian background, and his misunderstanding at most things, at least in the first part, makes you feel really sorry for him, and his fail attempts at chatting Wyatt up (partially due to her romantic obliviousness) adds to this. I love romantically awkward geniuses. 

The whole idea of Tom falling for Chinese soldier Medusa was slightly predictable, but enjoyable nonetheless. It’s really interesting seeing romances form when you can’t tell who you’re talking to and so on. 

The technology in this is mindblowing. Anything can happen. We start learning that all military personnel have computers implanted, meaning they can process large amounts of information quickly, and pick up on details such as names and ranks of everyone nearby.  This can also be used in a darker way, with Tom’s computer being used against him later on. Also-an entire war fought in space-how amazing is that? There were times when I wondered how S.J. Kincaid got to the conclustion that America and India would form an alliance though...

There’s so many twists and turns that further the plot and character development. The sense of competition and high stakes is prevalent, and keeps your heart racing. Action happens on many levels, from interfriendship fights to world war scale.

Overall:  Strength 5 tea to a great mix of action, technology, and friendship.

Links: Amazon | The Book Depository | Goodreads | Author website | 

Carnegie Book Review-Small Change for Stuart by Lissa Evans

Title: Small Change for Stuart

 Author: Lissa Evans

Series:  Stuart #1

Published:  May 2011 by Doubleday

Length: 282 pages

Warnings: None

Source: Library

Other info: This has been shortlisted for the Carnegie Shortlist. It is also published as Horten's Miraculous Mechanisms: Magic, Mystery, & a Very Strange Adventure

Summary : Stuart Horten—ten years old and small for his age—moves to the dreary town of Beeton, far away from all his friends. And then he meets his new next-door neighbours, the unbearable Kingley triplets, and things get even worse. But in Beeton begins the strangest adventure of Stuart’s life as he is swept up in quest to find his great-uncle’s lost workshop—a workshop stuffed with trickery and magic. There are clues to follow and puzzles to solve, but what starts as fun ends up as danger, and Stuart begins to realize that he can’t finish the task by himself. . . .

Review: Stuart Horten is a young boy who finds something unexpected out about his family. Great uncle Tony was an inventor.  Whose workshop is packed with...well...everything. and puzzles. Lots of them. Stuart sets out on an adventure.

This definitely isn’t one of my normal reads. Once again, it’s a Carnegie book, which I’m meant to have read all of them by the first of May (I’m writing this on the 14^th of April. This will not happen.), so should be assured of it’s quality, even if it’s not my type.

­­I  really can’t reveal the plot. I’ll just end up telling you everything that happens, because there isn’t really anywhere you can stop describing it. So much happens for such a short book and it’s really fun seeing the plot develop.

Lissa has managed to work in a lot of puzzles, which were good fun to figure out along with Stuart. A nice thing about Small Change for  Stuart was that each chapter ended on a cliffhanger, something vital just being revealed so that you have to read on and find out how that is important, what will come of it and such.

The characters really made this one for me. Stuart is very well developed, inquisitive and clever. April is one of three identical triplets, who doesn’t get on with Stuart to start with. However, they soon get to be good friends, and work well together. The baddies in this one weren’t as strong as the others, but were still good characters. Stuart’s dad was very funny with his overuse of long words, and Stuart’s blind grand-aunt (or something) was just really really cool. They all were. I also liked the way something we learn about them ties in by the end of it all with what we learnt earlier on, but didn’t think about to start with. Amazing how that happens.

This is definitely a heartwarming book. Seeing Stuart and April overcome puzzles, infiltrate museums and such really can’t fail  to make you smile.

 Overall:  Strength 4 tea to a book that is part magic, part mystery, and full of fun.

Links: Amazon | The Book Depository | Goodreads

Carnegie Book Review-Trash by Andy Mulligan

Title: Trash

 Author: Andy Mulligan

Series:  N/A

Published:   1 March 2011 by David Fickling

Length: 210 pages

Warnings: clean 10+

Source: Library

Other info: This has been shortlisted for the Carnegie 2012 medal, and has won other awards too.

Summary : In an unnamed Third World country, in the not-so-distant future, three “dumpsite boys” make a living picking through the mountains of garbage on the outskirts of a large city. One unlucky-lucky day, Raphael finds something very special and very mysterious. So mysterious that he decides to keep it, even when the city police offer a handsome reward for its return. That decision brings with it terrifying consequences, and soon the dumpsite boys must use all of their cunning and courage to stay ahead of their pursuers. It’s up to Raphael, Gardo, and Rat—boys who have no education, no parents, no homes, and no money—to solve the mystery and right a terrible wrong.

Review: Raphael, Gardo and Rat have spent their lives searching through the rubbish that comes to their home of a rubbish tip. They’ve lived like that forever. However, one day, they find a bag. It has a letter in it, and a string of numbers, and nobody knows what it means. And then they’re hunted. Round the city they travel, from prisons, to graveyards to find out what it all means. They soon end up undearthing seacrets-secrets which have been kept for ages, for good reasons.

I only read this because it’s on the Carnegie shortlist. It’s not my normal kind of thing, but I was pleasantly surprised with this.

There isn’t too much explicit world building, but most of Behala is conveyed via small details that you pick up if you read closely. I’m not entirely sure where exactly this is, but the way it’s written really gets the atmosphere of everything across.

My favourite character is Rat. He’s very resourceful, clever, connectable and just really well written. Olivia, a British girl who came out and started volunteering, too-believable, lovable and interesting.  Rat doesn’t so much develop, as gradually show what he’s capapble of. The other boys, well rounded with their own voices and ideas.

The writing of this was really powerful. I really got into the world that this is set in, sadly realistic with its dumpsite boys, terrible prisons and corrupt politicians. It became real and this is definitely a world that I could easily get lost in.

This book has multiple narrators, some narrating the bulk, some narrating just one short chapter. I like the fact that each person introduces themself at the start, which is an interesting technique that somehow made them feel a little more important to you. Each person has their own voice to narrate in, consistant with the dialogue they have iwth other characters, and I found it really effective.

Overall:  Strength 4 tea to a powerful book where the best part was the characters. It’d make a good winner.

Links: Amazon | The Book Depository | Goodreads | Author website | 

Book Review- The Bookman by Lavie Tidhar

Title: The Bookman

 Author: Lavie Tidhar

Series:  The Bookman Histories #1

Published:  7 Jan 2010 by Angry Robot

Length: 416 pages

Warnings: violence 13+

Source:Library

Other info: The others in this series are called Camera Obscura and The Great Game.

Summary : A masked terrorist has brought London to its knees -- there are bombs inside books, and nobody knows which ones. On the day of the launch of the first expedition to Mars, by giant cannon, he outdoes himself with an audacious attack. For young poet Orphan, trapped in the screaming audience, it seems his destiny is entwined with that of the shadowy terrorist, but how? Like a steam-powered take on V for Vendetta, rich with satire and slashed through with automatons, giant lizards, pirates, airships and wild adventure, The Bookman is the first of a series. File under: Steampunk, Serial killer, Alternate Victorian London, Exploding Book,  Historical Crime

Review: Orphan is a lizard boy, living in London. One night, his girlfriend Lucy is killed by a bomb, planted by the Bookman. Understandably, Orphan is upset, and therefore he sets out on a quest to find the truth. said quest takes him pretty much everywhere, and he ends up learning a lot more than he thought he would along the way.

The blurb does give quite a lot of where he goes on this quest away, which isn’t something I really like. But still, it was a fun ride, seeing what he’d learn on each of the stops. Something new happens at pretty much every turn, so there’s always something you want to find out.

Orphan was very different from how I had expected when I read the blurb, looked at the cover, and decided to read this. This is because no-where gave the hint about his being a lizard boy. It was an interesting facet of his character, which I got used to quicker than I thought I would.

I love the mix of characters in this. There are real-life (well, dead now) authors, actors and other people,  and yet some rather prominent figures, such as the Prime Minister and a police inspector, are well-known fictional characters, in this case, James Moriarty and Irene Adler. Oh, and the royalty are also lizards. Points for that.

I really liked Orphan, but I never felt that close to him for some reason. Maybe it’s his being a lizard, or being male. I don’t know.

At the beginning of each chapter is a relevant quote from all sorts of literature. There’s some from poems, some from short stories, and some from essays(I think). These were an interesting addition, which added a little something to each chapter.

Overall:  Strength 4 tea to a good mix of all kinds of things, rolled into adventure in an alternative Victorian age.

Links: Amazon | The Book Depository | Goodreads | Author website | 

Book Review- Ward against Death by Melanie Card

Title: Ward against Death

 Author: Melanie Card

Series:  Chronicles of a Reluctant Necromancer #1

Published:  August 2011 by Entangled Publishing

Length: 306 pages

Warnings: kissing, fantasy violence, 13+

Source: Library

Summary : Twenty-year-old Ward de’Ath expected this to be a simple job—bring a nobleman’s daughter back from the dead for fifteen minutes, let her family say good-bye, and launch his fledgling career as a necromancer. Goddess knows he can’t be a surgeon—the Quayestri already branded him a criminal for trying—so bringing people back from the dead it is.
 But when Ward wakes the beautiful Celia Carlyle, he gets more than he bargained for. Insistent that she’s been murdered, Celia begs Ward to keep her alive and help her find justice. By the time she drags him out her bedroom window and into the sewers, Ward can’t bring himself to break his damned physician’s Oath and desert her.
 However, nothing is as it seems—including Celia. One second, she’s treating Ward like sewage, the next she’s kissing him. And for a nobleman’s daughter, she sure has a lot of enemies. If he could just convince his heart to give up on the infuriating beauty, he might get out of this alive…

Review: Edward “Ward” de’Ath (I love the name so much) is trying to start his career as a necromancer. This fails when his relatively easy task goes wrong and the dead girl (who he’s just risen) is dragging him out to the sewers, demanding they find justice for her murder. Celia (the girl) is insistant she's been murdered, and they go on an adventure through sewers and towns and all sorts. One thing's certain for Ward-something that should be simple, won't be, and something that should not be deadly, will be.

The fantasy setting of The Chronicles of a Reluctant Necromancer is amazing. It's easy to imagine, and get the feel of the place as everything from the layout of the sewers to the social hierarchy to the religion of the place is described. The only downside to this historical/fantastical new world is the fact that some names of things are long and hard to remember.

Ward and Celia are two strong characters. I think Ward developed most thoughout the novel, from being an unexperienced necromance semi-experienced necromancer who is a lot more confident than when we first find him.

The side characters were nice additions to the story too, but I never really cared about them throughout. They gave a good idea of possible characters to appear in later books though.

The romance was done nicely. It was interesting that Ward obviously felt for Celia in a romantic way, but (unlike most teenagers in YA fiction of today) also managed to remember that his love interest is dead.

I loved the plot. Completely original and very fun, it was paced well and had a few subplots not focussing on Celia, which was nice. I wasn't expecting the narration to be in the third person, but it flowed well with the occasional parts  that made me really laugh out loud.

Overall:  Strength  4 tea to a fun adventure/mystery with a great setting.

Links:  Goodreads | Author website | 

Japanese YA Week review- Battle Royale by Koushun Tamaki

Title: Battle Royale

 Author: Koushun Tamaki

Series:  N/A

Published:  2003 by Viz. First published 1999.

Length:623 pages

Warnings: Nearly 40 deaths, almost all in graphic detail. Profanity. A few suggestive situations.

Source: Library

Other info: It has an M rated manga published once by Tokyopop and two films based on it.

Summary : Koushun Takami's notorious high-octane thriller is based on an irresistible premise: a class of junior high school students is taken to a deserted island where, as part of a ruthless authoritarian program, they are provided arms and forced to kill one another until only one survivor is left standing. Criticized as violent exploitation when first published in Japan - where it then proceeded to become a runaway bestseller - Battle Royale is a Lord of the Flies for the 21st century, a potent allegory of what it means to be young and (barely) alive in a dog-eat-dog world. Made into a controversial hit movie of the same name, Battle Royale is already a contemporary Japanese pulp classic, now available for the first time in the English language

Review: This is probably the only one of the week you’ve heard of before now. In it there’s elements of Lord of the Flies, and the Hunger Games , and lots of other things. Even the title is used to mean a huge fight. So, maybe you have heard of this. Or maybe you haven’t.

A class of forty 15-year-olds are knocked out with gas on a school trip bus, and wake up in a strange classroom with collars around their necks. Then a relatively cheerful looking man tells them they have to kill eachother, gives them a few rules as to where and where not they can go, and sends them out with food, water and a weapon. Weapon meaning anything from a machine gun to a sickle to a fork. Shuya Nanahara and Noriko team up with mysterious Shogo, and 35 other students work out their own ways of playing THE GAME.

The premise is one that shocked readers when it first came out. It’s also one on which there have been a lot of variations. There’s a lot you can do witht hte kill or be killed idea, and Koushun Tamaki has taken just one route with it.

My favourite thing is the character depth. Almost all of the characters get a long backstory (what did you think the 600+ pages were full of? Thirty deaths in great detail won’t fill all of that!), some of which are funny, some are intriguing and some tragic. With that, and the actions of the students in the game, they all become real flesh and blood people, before they become just flesh and blood.

It’s very fast paced. People betray everyone left, right and centre and it’s really amazing to see what will happen to  people once they’re put into a situation that they weren’t expecting but s till have to fight for survival.

One really helpful bit about this is the fact that at the end of every chapter, it say “X students remaining.” With the X being the number of students remaining. Seriously, if it wasn’t for that, I would have lost count within the first few chapters of the game.

Overall: Strength 5 tea to a fast paced thriller with many many full characters. Can’t wait to see what Tamaki has next. Which is apparently in progress, if the author bio is to be believed.    

Links:  Goodreads