Publication Date: Available now from Headline

Source: Publisher review copy

Syl Hellias: an Illyri, the first of her kind to be born on Earth. Paul Kerr: a human, dedicated to his people’s resistance of the alien invasion. Brought together by chance they formed the strongest of bonds. Now they are to be punished for that love.
Exiled to the outermost reaches of the universe, Syl and Paul must each make journeys that will lead them to the horrifying truths harbored at the heart of the Illyri Empire. And to a force with the power shake the the universe to its very core.

I was a huge fan of book 1 in this series – Conquest – so to say I was excited to read Empire would be putting it mildly. The great news is that Empire is brilliant – taking the initial imaginative concept and expanding and even improving on it as things move forward for Paul, Syl et al, this was a magnificent read, utterly compelling, beautifully written with some visionary world building and totally cool characters.

Syl and Ani are with the sisterhood, Syl determined to find out Syrene’s secrets whilst Ani begins to find herself feeling at home. Paul and Stephen are off on enforced service within the Illyri military – separated by distance but working towards the same goal, all of them will make frightening and horrific discoveries about the conspiracy at the heart of the Illyri empire.

This is a series aimed at Young Adults – it is intelligent, superbly done and could equally have been written for adults – in that sense it defies a genre tag or a “target audience”. Realistically speaking, anyone who enjoys fantasy, science fiction, adventure or almost anything reading wise for that matter,  could get a lot out of this. There are some thrills and spills, mystery elements, a gorgeously drawn romance, extravagant and ingenious worlds to explore and bang at the heart of it simply a darn good yarn.

I am in love with all the characters, the good, the evil, the downright enigmatic and one of the best things about both Conquest and Empire is the intricate weaving of interpersonal relationships between all the players – in the case of Empire, the slow but sure downturn of the previously solid friendship between Syl and Ani is one of its strengths – a “coming of age” arc where the heart and soul of that particular pact is threatened by outside influences and I was totally absorbed by it.  Emotionally speaking all the character arcs pack a heck of a punch – Syrene is such a compelling and wonderful character, to pick at random one of the many others you will find here, she is so terrifically evil and yet absolutely engaging.

As for the Universe they all inhabit, it is magnificently drawn. Whilst Conquest was set mainly on Earth, Empire goes beyond the horizons and takes the reader on a fast, furious and brilliantly engaging rollercoaster ride around the galaxy – brought vividly to life and often horrifically scary, right there is another element to the story as a whole that will often have you on the edge of your seat.

I was considering baking John Connolly and Jennifer Ridyard a cake for writing such a fun, sometimes dark, always thrilling yet deeply emotional fantasy tale but then I read the end and realised I had to wait. WAIT for more. Not on. So instead they get a glare from me, all be it one with a hint of a smile, plus this review. Consider me one happy reader. Mostly. Ok, completely then.

Sparkling stuff. Highly Recommended.

Find out more here: http://chroniclesoftheinvaders.com/

Follow John Connolly on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/jconnollybooks

Follow Jennifer Ridyard on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/JennieRidyard

Purchase Information: Special signed edition: http://www.goldsborobooks.com/books/empire-chronicles-of-the-invaders-2-john-connolly-jennifer-ridyard-4214.html

Purchase Information: http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/john+connolly/jennifer+ridyard/empire/10467264/

Also Available: Read first.

http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/john+connolly/jennifer+ridyard/conquest/9962196/

Happy Reading Folks!

Publication Date 29th January from Harper Collins.

Source: Publisher review copy. Thank you Hannah.

I am Kirstie

I am Lydia

I am confident and loud.

I am thoughtful and quiet.

I lived. I died.

Or did I?

Prepare to be haunted by The Ice Twins.

Five things you need to know about The Ice Twins. Teaser Review.

1) “Prepare to be haunted by The Ice Twins”  – seeing that, you may be blase. Seen it all before. Heard that more than once. But PAY ATTENTION. If this book does not appear somewhere in some subconcious form or another in my dreams tonight I shall be very surprised.

2) Storytelling genius.  Really can’t tell you anything about it though. It is obvious of course that there are twins involved and one dies and there seems to be some confusion over which one. Apart from that though, I would not give anything away. You need to read it. The pure and haunting prose and beautifully constructed plot will engage and enchant you at the same time as having you feeling vaguely afraid of something you can’t quite capture.

3) Atmosphere. One of the most atmospheric and exquisite novels I have read for some time. And I read a lot. If I had to liken it to anything, it would be The Shining. Not in story form, the two tales are poles apart. But in sense and feeling and the odd sudden reading adrenalin rush, that is the novel I would “twin” it with. Yes I really did do that.

4) Don’t put it in a genre box. I hate boxes for books. But if I must this is not only a top notch, highly readable and terribly addictive psychological thriller it also manages to be a pretty emotional and heart wrenching look at grief and survivor guilt, However it is also many other things. Clever and intuitive writing, let it be what it is.

5) You will worry for the dog. I’m not going to tell you whether or not that worry is justified because I really am that mean.

Highly Recommended. 5 beautiful shiny stars and a puppy for this one.

Pre-Order it here: http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/s-+k-+tremayne/the+ice+twins/10492781/