Title: The Rain.
Series: The Rain, #1.
Author: Virginia Bergin.
Publication Date: July 17th, 2014.
Publisher: Macmillan.
Format: Paperback, 384 pages.
Source: Provided By Publisher.
My Rating:



It's in the rain...and just one drop will kill you.

They don't believe it at first. Crowded in Zach's kitchen, Ruby and the rest of the partygoers laugh at Zach's parents' frenzied push to get them all inside as it starts to drizzle. But then the radio comes on with the warning, "It's in the rain! It's fatal, it's contagious, and there's no cure."

Two weeks later, Ruby is alone. Anyone who's been touched by rain or washed their hands with tap water is dead. The only drinkable water is quickly running out. Ruby's only chance for survival is a treacherous hike across the country to find her father-if he's even still alive.


It feels like I haven’t written a review in about a year, although it has only been a couple of months. So, I apologise if I seem a little rusty! The Rain is set in a diary format and it is as if the main character is speaking directly to you, I absolutely loved this, as I don’t come across books like it very often! The Rain is a brilliant and pretty darn awesome post-apocalyptic novel with a really fantastic premise and interesting characters. Every time I go to get a glass of water now, I pause for a second and need to remind myself that it hadn’t happened in real life – not yet at least!


Ruby is our main protagonist and I actually started off liking her quite a lot, she seemed like a very typical teenage girl and was generally a pretty bubbly and interesting character. However, the more I read The Rain, the more I grew to dislike her. Ruby turned out to be an irritating, annoying, frustrating, big-headed, over dramatic, rude and mean character. The way she treated people, her family included, made me want to whack her over the head with the book. I know she’s only seventeen, but you would think, given the circumstances (and the fact that she’s nearly an adult) she’d mature a little, but she just got worse as the book went on. I don’t know whether this was Virginia Bergin’s plan all along, but Ruby was definitely not a character I would want to know!

Overall, The Rain was a really good book that I found really difficult to put down; I needed to find out what would happen next! Virginia Bergin’s writing is different and unique and I have to say I’ve definitely not read anything like it before. I loved the format the book was in, a diary written by Ruby and although I didn’t like Ruby’s character, it didn’t detract from the brilliance of the book. Virginia Bergin is a fantastic author and I can’t wait to read more from her in the future, I would also definitely recommend The Rain to any post-apocalyptic fan as it really is a unique read!


Quotes
Simon’s hands snatched round my middle and pulled me back. He pinned me to him.
My scream died in the air; it died and joined all the other screams. They live like ghosts, like echoes in the minds of the living.
My scream burst out and died and lungs refused - refused - to suck air in. I wanted to stop, to die with that scream.
‘Breathe, breathe, breathe,’ Simon kept saying. He was crying. He would not let me go.
Then it comes. Your lungs suck in air; your body decides for you. You will live.
You’re one breath away from her, then two, then three, then four, then five.
Mum, I am still breathing. - Page 72 & 73.

Whitby, outside, had started to whimper...and the sound of his crying, it was awful and I could feel I was about ready to totally yee-haa...and then...something kicked in, just for a second, about how..I dunno. How it’s so hard now to work things out it’s maybe easier to work them out with other people, but how being with other people is dangerous as well as safer...because you have to agree all the time...because if you don’t sort it out and you don’t agree, a lot of things can go wrong.
Basically people can die. [...]

My eyes were so tear-blurry I could hardly even see Whitby running after the car, barking. Please don’t leave me, please don’t leave me, please don’t leave me.
I could hardly even see him until he was just a tiny dot, sitting in the middle of the motorway, howling. - Page 304.

I had these thoughts – strange, but not scary – about how maybe there’d be so few people left now that the animals would set up a human zoo and bring their animal children to stare at us and tell them in Animalese to shush and not frighten us, and give us mobile phones to play with and feed us on tinned stuff and bottles of cola. Yikes! And try to get us to breed! Imagine spending the rest of your life trapped in a cage with Darius Spratt, being forced to try to like each other. – Page 343.



Hey fellow book lovers. :D I Am SO sorry for my huge absence over the last month or so - at first things were going badly, and then all of a sudden hundreds of things started happening at once. I've been seeing friends, and I've just started two courses so I can go back and take my Maths and English GCSE's as I never managed to take them at school. So everything is really hectic and I've had a lot of work to do and there's really been no free second for me to do anything really at all! I am however, still working on my new blog, I've nearly finished editing everything and I hope to have everything public very soon, but I can't promise you when. On top of all that, I've barely read ANYTHING over the last two months, which is really irritating - but hopefully eventually I'll start up again. I think I've just been in a huge reading slump. Anyways, that's it for today, I'll try and update again very soon - but until then, take care guys!

Video


Photos And Book Information
The Castle by Sophia Bennett.
Flashes by Tim O'Rourke.

Killing Sound by Paul Southern.
City of Halves by Lucy Inglis.

A MASSIVE thanks to Chicken House who sent me, The Castle, Flashes, Killing Sound and City of Halves for review. They all look really amazing and I can't wait to start them. :)


A HUGE thank you to Walker Books who sent me this copy of The Jewel for review, it looks incredible. :) Also, a BIG thank you to Macmillan who sent me a beautiful finished copy of Trial By Fire for review, I can't wait to finally start both these books. ^.^



A HUGE thanks to Bloomsbury who sent me, Better Than Perfect, Heir of Fire and The Graveyard Book Graphic Novel Vl.1 for review! :) They all look great and I'm so pleased to have them in my collection. ^.^



When You Were Mine by Rebecca Serle.
Touching the Surface by Kimberly Sabatini.

Fault Line by Christa Desir.
The Alchemy of Forever (Incarnation, #1) by Avery Williams.

The Infinite Moment of Us by Lauren Myracle.
SYLO (The SYLO Chronicles, #1) by D.J. MacHale.


I GOT SO MANY PRETTY BOOKS! :D :D I'm honestly lost for words and I have no idea what to say except I'm SO excited about all of them! :) I know this is a really late book haul, and I should probably really get around to filming my September Book Haul soon, but I just need to revel in the glory of these amazing books. ^.^ Plus, they have some really beautiful covers, I mean, just LOOK at them! :D Have you read any of these books? Let me know! ^.^



What books have you brought or received lately? Leave me a comment or a link to your blog post and I'll be sure to check it out. ^.^ Happy reading! (:



Title: Mutant City.
Author: Steve Feasey.
Publication Date: May 8th, 2014.
Publisher: Bloomsbury.
Format: Paperback, 345 pages.
Source: ARC Provided By Publisher.
My Rating:



Fifty years ago, the world was almost destroyed by a chemical war. Now the world is divided into the mutants and the pure. Mutants must fight for survival in a scarred landscape, while the privileged pure live out a life of disease-free perfection.

Thirteen years ago, a covert government experimental facility was shut down and its residents killed. The secrets it held died with them. But five extraordinary kids survived.

Today four teenagers are about to discover that their mutant blood brings with it special powers. They are heading straight for Mutant City with rival factions close behind. One by one, they face the enemy. Together, they must stay alive . . .


Mutant City is one of those books that I just didn’t expect to love as much as I did. Mutant City did take me a few weeks to read, as I’ve been in a huge reading slump lately, but I enjoyed every moment I was reading it! Although a few of the ideas in Mutant City aren’t exactly original; it’s a fun, fast-paced, and action-packed book that will ensnare the reader and keep them wanting to turn the pages to find out what’ll happen next.


Mutant City switches perspectives throughout the book, so each new chapter is in the view of a different character – I believe it switches between 5 or 6 characters throughout the book. At the beginning, this was rather confusing, and I found myself flipping back to the first few pages to find out which character was which. But by the time I’d read about quarter of Mutant City I was really engrossed and invested in pretty much all the characters.

Rush is one of the characters that we read the most about, and I really loved him. He’s a bit of a head-strong guy, but eventually learns to trust the new people he’s meeting. I just loved the amount of compassion he showed throughout the book towards the people he cares about. Brick is also another one of the main characters in Mutant City, and although there really isn’t that many chapters based solely on him, I adored his character too. He’s a big guy, as mentioned on many different occasions throughout the book, but he has a soft heart, and is just a really strong, caring and overall loveable character.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading Mutant City and I think it truly is a brilliant and wonderful novel. The fact that you get thrown completely into the middle of Steve Feasey’s world does leave you a little confused, however it doesn’t take long to acclimatise and things become much clearer the more you read. Steve Feasey’s writing is fun and quirky, and although it’s definitely not perfect – I still absolutely adored it. I’d recommend anyone who loves a bit of Sci-Fi to read Mutant City, especially if you’re a fan of X-Men, as I’ve heard that they’re supposed to be quite similar! I believe Mutant City well and truly deserves the 4 star rating I gave it, and I can’t wait to see what happens next – as I hope there’s a sequel - because the cliff hanger ending was frustrating, but really awesome at the same time.


Quotes
‘The farm was established so I might look into mutant anomalies.’
‘Anomalies?’
‘Aberrations. Mutations so extreme that they defy scientific explanation.’ He paused to wet his dry, cracked lips.
Zander was beginning to wonder if the old man’s ramblings might be simply a result of the pain-controlling medication he was on. He glanced back towards the door, weighing up whether he should call one of the nursing staff.
The old man continued. ‘I’d heard rumours about mutants from the most extreme environments who had psychic powers and other weird abilities.’ - Page 31.

The stone he dropped, almost casually, out of the same hand landed perfectly in the small square of leather between the long thongs, and he twirled the entire thing about his head, the weapon making a low whoosh that got increasingly loud with each revolution. On the third turn he leaned into the throw and released one of the thongs so the stone flew out at a terrific speed, streaking through the air like a bullet. There was an audible crack! as the projectile connected with its target, followed by the sound of the crossbow clattering to the ground. For a moment Forkhand seemed unaware he’d been hit. He stood as a rivulet of blood flowed down his face from the centre of his forehead.
Then his eyes rolled up towards the heavens and he collapsed. Page 187 – 188.

‘Look who’s here,’ Rush said, nodding in Tink’s direction. Dotty took one look at the man, let out a less than friendly hurgh and walked out again, pausing in the doorway to fart loudly. ‘Well, what do you know?’ Tink said with a grin. ‘The miserable critter still hates me.’ - Page 286.



Hey fellow book lovers. :) How are you all doing? I've finally made the plunge into the deep end, and I'm moving to Wordpress! :D I've already brought my domain and hosting, and I'm working on the blog and all the coding now. It'll probably take a few weeks to get everything how I want it, but I'm really excited about the whole thing. :) I'm no longer going to be called The British Book Nerd, but something completely different, but I'm not going to reveal it just yet. ;) I'm probably going to be pretty absent for a few more weeks; at least until I've finished the new blog, and have moved everything across. Then I hope to be posting more frequently, and have some different, more interesting posts up! You guys have been amazing about my rather long leave of absence, and I love you guys. So for now, enjoy the book haul - I got some amazing looking books! ^.^

Video


Photos And Book Information
Secret Society by Hannah Jennings.

A MASSIVE thanks to Hannah Jennings, who emailed me asking whether I'd like to review her recently released book, Secret Society. Of course I had to say yes, so I got sent a copy in the post. I'm really looking forward to getting into it! :D


Take Me On (Pushing the Limits, #4) by Katie McGarry.
The Rain by Verginia Bergin.

A HUGE thank you to Mira Ink who sent me a copy of Take Me On for review! :3 I'm so excited to finally start it. :D Also, a BIG thank you to Macmillan for the finished copy of The Rain, I've yet to read it, but I've heard some fantastic things. :)


Water Born (The Drowning, #2) by Rachel Ward.
The String Diaries by Stephen Lloyd Jones.

A HUGE thank you to Chicken House, who sent me Water Born for review. I participated in the blog tour not long ago - so go check it out if you're interested. :) Also, a BIG thanks to Headline who sent me these The String Diaries via Book Bridgr for review! :3


Eversea (Eversea, #1) by Natasha Boyd.
Forever, Jack (Eversea, #2) by Natasha Boyd.

A HUGE thanks to Headline who sent me these two books via Book Bridgr for review! :3 This series looks so cute, and I'm looking forward to starting it and sharing my opinions. :)


Flirty Dancing (The Ladybirds, #1) by Jenny McLachlan.
Searching for Sky by Jillian Cantor.

A HUGE thanks to Bloomsbury who sent me these two books for review! :) They both look awesome and I can't wait to read and review them. ^.^


The Assassin’s Curse (The Assassin's Curse, #1) by Cassandra Rose Clarke.
Just Like Fate by Cat Patrick & Suzanne Young.



Insurgent (Divergent, #2) by Veronica Roth.
The Girl in the Arena by Lise Haines.

Premeditated by Josin L. McQuein.
Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill.

The Last Princess (Last Princess, #1) by Galaxy Craze.
Impostor (Variants, #1) by Susanne Winnacker.

In Honor by Jessi Kirby.
Let the Sky Fall (Sky Fall, #1) by Shannon Messenger.

Every Day (Every Day, #1) by David Levithan.
Kissing Shakespeare by Pamela Mingle.

Earthbound (Earthbound, #1) by Aprilynne Pike.
Want to Go Private? by Sarah Darer Littman.

The Falconer (The Falconer, #1) by Elizabeth May.
Deep Blue (Waterfire Saga, #1) by Jennifer Donnelly.


SO MANY PRETTY BOOKS!!! :D I really don't know where to start; I'm at a bit of a loss for words. I honestly can't say which one I'm most excited about, as I'm super excited about them all! :P A huge thanks to my good friend Tina, who gave me a book voucher for my birthday earlier this year - I brought The Assassin's Curse and Just Like Fate with it. :D I've heard so many amazing things about all of these books, and I'm so thrilled to have them in my collection. Hopefully one day I'll get round to reading them. :3 Gosh knows when that day will come though! ;) Have you read any of these books? Let me know! ^.^



What books have you brought or received lately? Leave me a comment or a link to your blog post and I'll be sure to check it out. ^.^ Happy reading! (:

Wrap-Up: July 2014


Hey fellow book lovers. :) I'm so sorry, for, once again being so absent recently! July was a bit of a busy month for me. I had another ear infection (the 5th one this year!), and I've also been started on a new medication - so I've been trying to adjust to it. My reading last month was pretty bad, as I only managed to read two books - which I know, I know, isn't awful - but I wanted to read more! On a happier note, I've finally decided I'm going to move to WordPress! :D I may try and do a post about this sometime soon, but for now I'll just tell you a little bit. Today, I'm going to be purchasing a domain name and hosting from BlueHost, and although It's going to take a little while to get everything set up - I'm really looking forward to it. :3 I'm also going to be changing my blog name - which I'll reveal once I've brought it. I'm just tired of The British Book Nerd, and I feel that it's too long and I'm kind of embarrassed by it. (Don’t ask me why, as I really don’t have a clue!) So yes, I'll try and keep you all updated with everything, and I hope to have my July 2014 Book Haul up soon as well, as I filmed it right after I filmed this video. ^.^ So yes, that's it for now, talk to you all again soon.


Video


Books Read In July 2014
  • The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater.
  • Dance of Shadows by Yelena Black.

Total: 2 books read.
Click on the link to be taken to the review.

What books did you read in July 2014? Don't forget to leave me a comment or a link to your blog post and I'll be sure to check it out! ^.^ Happy Reading! (:




Title: Water Born.
Author: Rachel Ward.
Series: The Drowning, #2.
Genres: Thriller, Ghosts, Young Adult.
Publication Date: August 7th, 2014.
Publisher: Chicken House.
Format: Paperback, 275 pages.



Nic’s always loved the water, so being chosen for the swimming team means everything.When she begins to hear a disembodied voice in the pool, she turns to her dad for answers from a past he might not want to remember.

And when girls her age begin mysteriously drowning, Nic may be the only one who can uncover the murky truth...





Website | Good Reads | Twitter

I'm a fortysomething author of books for young adults. I live in Bath, England, with my husband, two teenagers, dog, cat and chickens. I've had 'sensible' jobs for 25 years, and now I'm a writer too. I've been writing for about 10 years, and have published the Numbers trilogy. The first book came out in the UK in 2009 and the USA in 2010.

My Numbers books explore the gift of being able to see death dates. If you looked in somebody's eyes and saw the date of their death, would it change the way you felt about people? Would it change the way you lived your life?

Writing As A Boy by Rachel Ward

The Drowning was recently shortlisted for the Sussex Coast Schools Amazing Book Award. Sadly, circumstances conspired against me and I wasn’t able to go to the presentation evening, which was, by all accounts a great ‘do’. However, I was sent a question and I emailed my answer which was read out on my behalf. The question was, ‘What made you decide to narrate The Drowning from a boy’s point of view?’ It’s a good question, particularly as I’ve written five books in the first person (usually first person, present tense).

My answer was: 'I'm not sure I actually decided this! When I knew what the story was, it was clear to me that Carl was right at the centre of it, and when I started writing an exploratory chapter, he was the one telling the story. I wanted to show his journey from amnesia to understanding, and really that could only be told from his point of view. I liked having him as an 'unreliable' narrator – so that the reader isn't quite sure whether Rob is really haunting Carl, or whether he is a product of Carl's guilty and tortured mind...’

Carl is a boy with amnesia, a boy who has to put the pieces of the past back together and doesn’t necessarily like what he discovers. In the sequel to The Drowning, Water Born, my narrator is Nic, a talented swimmer. She finds out that her parents aren’t who they say they are and has to unpick the web of secrets and lies that her life is built on. Again, I don’t think I chose Nic as my narrator. It was very clear to me that Water Born is her story and I wanted the reader to see it through her eyes (although if you’ve already read The Drowning, you know a great deal more about her parents’ history than she does).

I think it’s almost true to say that I’m equally comfortable writing from a male or female viewpoint. In two books (The Chaos and Infinity), I have alternated chapters, male and female. Maybe it is marginally easier for me to write as a female. I remember struggling when I was trying to write The Chaos as I couldn’t seem to find an authentic voice for Adam. I wondered then whether Jem in Numbers had actually been me, or at least an expression of part of my character. Now I’m not sure.

If you write in the first person, you are in effect writing a sort of monologue and in that respect writing is a lot like acting. You need to understand your character, inhabit their skin, learn to think and react like they would. You don’t need to be (like) the person you are writing about, you just need to use your imagination, fed by all the observations you’ve made over the years of other people and the way they speak and act.

Starting to write a book is quite daunting, and so at the beginning of a book, I usually do a bit of ‘exploratory writing’. I tell myself that I’m writing something, anything just to test the water, get a feel for the book. Quite often this turns out to be the first chapter, but if I sat down at a blank screen and wrote ‘Chapter 1’ at the top of the page, I think my mind and body would be frozen until someone came to tuck a blanket over my knees and turn out the lights at the end of the day. Usually the voice I use, and the character I inhabit, for that first bit of writing sets the tone for the rest of the book.

For my next book, I’m experimenting with writing in the third person. Again, this decision sort of chose itself, but it took a bit of getting used to. I kept getting in a muddle and automatically switching to ‘I’ even though I didn’t want to. However, now I’m finding that there’s something liberating about taking a step back as a narrator and being able to see the bigger picture, which you can’t do if you are writing in the first person. I’m enjoying it, which is a good sign. I wonder if readers will even notice, and if they do, if they’ll like it. Anyway, that’s a question for some time in the future. For the moment, I’m wondering whether readers will enjoy getting to know Nic, in Water Born, and whether they will share her confusion and alarm when she starts to hear a voice in the water...