The Mountains of Instead

Championing fiction as an escape from pandemics, politics and bad TV.

Comfortably Numb (Review: Delirium by Lauren Oliver)

Delirium Lauren Oliver HarperTeen/Hodder and Stoughton 2011
In Lena's world love is a four letter word – a disease; an infection of which all are cured at age eighteen. After the cure, citizens are no longer cursed with the highs and lows that love can bring. In fact, they are no longer inconven…
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IMM (#29/20/31)

In My Mailbox is a meme created and hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren with inspiration from Alea at Pop Culture Junkie. All book titles link to further info at Goodreads. 
All books in this IMM post have been received for review/bought/gifted/loaned/UK Book Toured/NetGalley-ed/acquired throug…
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Lord, I Feel Like An Angel (Review: Unearthly by Cynthia Hand)

Unearthly Cynthia Hand HarperTeen 2011
I am quite seriously getting a bit sick of Nephilim. They seem to be flitting about the YA shelves with their feathery wings and angel-complexes and to my mind it's all getting a bit silly. Apart from the Shadowhunters, all the Nephilim can fly away. Well,…
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Life Of Crime (Review: Long Reach by Peter Cocks)

Long Reach Peter Cocks Walker Books 2010
I can oft be found bemoaning the lack of decent crime thrillers in young adult fiction. It's a genre that I adore in adult books – a guilty pleasure. I'll read pretty much anything on the crime shelves (well, not the true crime stuff – although The Susp…
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Where Have All The Flowers Gone (Review: The Iron Queen; J. Kagawa)

The Iron Queen Julie Kagawa Harlequin 2011
Before I start, I just want to say that having read the last two books in this series consecutively I've now had Black Sabbath's Iron Man stuck in my head for over a week... Also, The Iron Daughter is the third book in a series and this review theref…
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Iron Cold Iron (Review: The Iron Daughter; J. Kagawa)

The Iron Daughter Julia Kagawa Harlequin 2010
The Iron Daughter is the second book in The Iron Fey series and as such this review contains spoilers for book one, The Iron King (you can read my non-spoilery review of that title here). You have been warned - proceed at your own peril.
I really enjoyed th…
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Guest Post - Phil Earle

Earlier today I reviewed Being Billy, the debut title of UK author Phil Earle.  Inspired by his own experience as social carer, the book is haunting, thought provoking and moving.  It also highlights the plight of many kids in the UK and for that alone it should be championed.

Here, Phil talks about…
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What Is This Life, If Full Of Care (Review: Being Billy; P. Earle)

Being Billy Phil Earle                 Puffin 2010
To be honest, when Being Billy appeared through my door I pretty much instantly dismissed it.  I read YA mostly to try and escape the real world and a story about a kid in a care home really doesn’t fit that bill.  However, an impassioned email from t…
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Let Me Live, Unheard, Unknown (Review: The Replacement; B. Yovanoff)

The Replacement Brenna Yovanoff Simon Pulse 2010
I've always been fascinated by stories of changelings. Since childhood, I've pored over fairy tales based around nasty Fae stealing into family homes in the depths of night and stealing an innocent child away. Of course, they don't just st…
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IMM (#28)

In My Mailbox is a meme created and hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren with inspiration from Alea at Pop Culture Junkie. All book titles link to further info at Goodreads. 
All books in this IMM post have been received for review/bought/gifted/loaned/UK Book Toured/NetGalley-ed/acquired throug…
Read more
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