The Fandom - Anna Day

A dystopia within a fantasy, this is a gripping read right from the start. I would guess everyone has a particular book or fantasy world they would love to explore, maybe even live in. But that life probably wouldn't be as great as expected if you had to struggle fill someone else's shoes and live up to their reputation.

Violet and her friends have been looking forward to comicon for ages, this is where they are hoping to meet characters of their favourite book and movie. However, just after meeting the star of the movie, there is an accident and somehow they end up right in the middle of the world of 'The Gallows Dance'. In this futuristic world people are split into the Imperfect people - Imps, and the Genetically Enhanced Men - Gems. Gems rule the world, pretty much keeping the Imps as their slaves, and they regularly hang anyone who hasn't kept to their many rules. This is where the gallows come into it. When Rose, the heroine of the story, is killed, somehow Violet has to replace her as the main player in the plans which the rebels have put in place.

This book is one of the proofs I managed to get my hands on at YALC and it was worth the queuing. I enjoyed it, though not quite as much as I expected which was possibly due to all the hype. It's pretty hard to live up to that. It does keep you on your toes as there are so many twists, turns and betrayals that you just can't figure who to trust or how it will end till you get closer. But by then it is almost inevitable.

If you're hoping for a resolution to everything, be prepared to keep waiting. Though there isn't a cliffhanger, there are still some story threads left unfinished, possibly ready for a sequel.

The Act of Violets cocktail was just made for Violet and is perfect to drink while reading.
Into a shaker pour 2 shots of gin, 1 each of creme de violette and lemon juice, 1/3 shot of dry vermouth, 2 dashes of bitters and half an egg white and dry shake (without ice). Then shake again with ice and stain into a cocktail glass.

Dad just happened to visit while I was thinking of making this cocktail so of course I had to make two. Lucky him!

Samplers

As I have been reading so many samplers lately, I thought I'd post my thoughts on a few of them.

The Truth and Lies of Ella Black by Emily Barr
The descriptions I've read do not really do this book justice. There is so much more to it, just from the couple of chapters you get in the sampler. Though I have to say it is quite a substantial start to the book, some samplers are so short you don't have time to really get into the story, not so with this one.

Sorrow by Melinda Salisbury
The chapter here seems to be more of a prologue to the book so it is hard to guess what it will be like but I really enjoyed it. I believe 'Sorrow' is just a working title. I've heard it will be quite a long book so I am really looking forward to getting into it. If it is even half as good and the 'Sin Eater's Daughter' trilogy I will love it.

The Book of Dust by Phillip Pullman
I'm quite nostalgic for the days when I got to read His Dark Materials so it is great to get into that world again. This time going back to when Lyra was just a baby. This is a short sampler but still enough to know that I want to read the rest of the book... as if I didn't already know that.

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
The cover and title drew me to this one but while I did enjoy the sampler, it didn't really entice me to read the rest of the book. I've heard good things about it though so I might be persuaded in future.

Floored by 7 authors including Melinda Salisbury, Non Pratt and Holly Bourne
I am really enjoying reading the scenes from each different character's point of view. I think I already have a favourite, Kaitlyn, and I look forward to seeing if that will continue when I read the rest of the book. I haven't read all the authors before so I don't have a clue who wrote what but I am curious to find out.

Here are some quick recipes for short and sweet cocktail shots to go with the short reads.

Tequila sunrise shot - fill a shot glass 1/3 with tequila, top up with orange juice, then slowly pour some grenadine in. It should sink to the bottom of the glass, giving a nice sunrise effect.

Pornstar martini - half fill a shot glass with vanilla vodka and add a squeeze of lemon and sugar syrup. Fill to 3/4 with Passoa and finish with cranberry juice.

Long Island Ice Tea - 3/4 fill a shot glass with equal measures of gin, vodka, tequila, triple sec and rum. Add a little sugar syrup and a squeeze of lime juice. Top with cola.

Godkiller - Colleen Vanderlinden

I was hooked soon after starting Lost Girl, the first of the Hidden series and have been impatiently awaiting each new book as it came out, including all through the Soulhunter follow-on series. So I was absolutely ecstatic when Godkiller was released.

It is 10 years later and things in Detroit have been calm since the last huge adventure. But of course peace never lasts and this time Molly is up against something even bigger and badder than ever before. You wouldn't have thought it possible but it is. Lucky she has all the gang supporting her. I love getting more Nain, more Brennan, more Eunomia and everyone else too, including Molly and Nain's teenagers Zoe and Hades, who were just little children in the previous books. All the characters are just amazing. I don't think there is anyone who does not have a well-thought-out personality, though some have a lot more back story than others, for example Eunomia has her own series - Soulhunter.

I am trying to avoid spoilers, but I must say the moments between Molly and Nether actually had me in tears, anyone who has read the previous books will know the history and changing relationship between these two. And if you haven't read the other books you're going to want to get on that as soon as you finish reading this post! Warning, this book does end on a cliffhanger but luckily the author has promised we won't have to wait too long for the next one.

This is yet another fantastic book from Colleen Vanderlinden. I really missed reading about Molly and this one did not disappoint. Also, I have just realised there are interviews with some of the characters on the website (I'll put a link on the list). I can't believe I missed these before! A great way to get back into the world when you've run out of Molly books to read.

Another great series by Coleen Vanderlinden is the Strikeforce superhero series. If you love superhero stories or even just love strong, amazing characters like Molly then you will enjoy these.

One of the many aspects I love about these books is the Greek mythology and I found the perfect cocktail for Molly - the Greek Goddess. I have had to be a little creative with the ingredients as there was a quite obscure one in the recipe, but I think the one I made has worked out well.

To make my version, pour a shot of vodka into the shaker, along with a dash of elderflower liqueur. Squeeze in a quarter orange and throw the piece into the shaker too. Add some mint and a few pieces of cucumber. An optional addition I made to bring the flavours out a bit more is a couple of drops of Angostura bitters. Add ice, shake it all up and strain into a glass to remove all the little pieces. If you're feeling adventurous, flame a little twist of orange peel over the top, pass it around the rim of the glass and then use to garnish.

YALC (part 2)

This was my first experience of YALC (Young Adult Literary Convention) and I loved the atmosphere. I managed to get my nails done to match Stargazing for Beginners, had a drawing lesson from Ruby etc herself and heard a panel discuss myths and magic. I stood in queues for proofs, followed a lady in a red cloak, got a picture with The Doctor and grabbed tons of samplers. And the highlight of my day, I managed to meet the wonderful Melinda Salisbury who kindly signed my book even though I missed her official signing day!

I only attended the Saturday this year but I have definite plans to go at least for the weekend next year. The jealousy when I heard what I missed on day 1, and then watching twitter to see everything that was going on day 3 was so tough to deal with. Now I miss being surrounded by books and authors but luckily have loads of goodies to keep me occupied.I managed to get my hands on some great proofs and freebies which I can't wait to read.

I also picked up tons of samplers for some books which I am really looking forward to. So far I've read the samplers of Sorrowbook and Book of Dust, both of which had me drooling for more. Why oh why do they have to publish next year? How do they expect us to wait so long?  If you spot any personal favourites in here let me know in the comments, you could help me decide what to read next.

And of course I had to buy just a couple of books too. It was very hard to restrict myself, the lure of all those lovely books just sitting there... I've been wanting to read The Girl of Ink and Stars for ages, just could not resist The Invisible Library (a book about books...) and was recommended The Sun is Also a Star by the bookseller.

Last but not least is all the lovely swag! Posters, badges, bookmarks, bags, sweets and plenty more. I now have to figure out how to display all this great stuff. My library walls will be covered. Any ideas for the rest, please leave me a message, I'm open to ideas, no matter how kooky.

Now I feel like I really need to up my reading though I have no idea when I will find the extra time. My already overflowing TBR has grown significantly. All in all I felt YALC 2017 was a very successful first experience, looking forward to next year!