The Mountains of Instead

Grave Mercy Robin La Fevers Andersen 2012
Ismae has always been different and has always suffered for it.  Born to an unwilling  mother and an angry father, her body bears the mark of a deadly poison, intended to kill her while she still resided in her mother’s womb.  The fact that this poison merely …

Throne of Glass Sarah J. Mass Bloomsbury 2012
Deep in the heart of a brutal salt mine slaves a young girl.  Covered with salt-packed scars, this is the Assassin, dying in the place that killing led her.  Unlikely to survive another winter in the mine, she finds herself dragged from its shadows by the …

Splendibird is off on her holibags!
It's true, I'm off to foreign climes (well, er, Orkney... which is, like, nearly Norway) for a week to enjoy boat burnings, treasure hunting and seafood.  Fear not, though, I shall be carting a veritable suitcase-load of books with me, all falling roughly …