Covered - Fury by Rebecca Lim

I am seriously LOVING the cover for Rebecca Lim's Fury! It's just as beautiful as the others and fits the whole theme. Cannot wait until it releases. What do you think?

Heartbreak. Vengeance. Fury. 

Mercy is an exiled angel cast down to earth and forced to live out thousands of different lives for her own protection. Betrayed by her eternal love, Luc, Mercy burns with fury. The time of reckoning is here and now she must wage open war with Luc and his demons. Ryan’s love for Mercy is more powerful than ever, but loving an angel is mortally dangerous. As their two worlds collide, Mercy approaches her ultimate breathtaking choice. 

Hell hath no fury like Mercy ...

Review: Fury by Elizabeth Miles

Title: Fury (The Fury Trilogy #1)
Author: Elizabeth Miles
Age Group: Young Adult
Release Date: September 1st 2011
Publishers: Simon & Schuster
Available from: Amazon
Amazon UK
Book Depository
The Nile
I received this book from the publisher.

Sometimes sorry isn't enough....

It’s winter break in Ascension, Maine. The snow is falling and everything looks pristine and peaceful. But not all is as it seems...

Between cozy traditions and parties with her friends, Emily loves the holidays. And this year’s even better--the guy she’s been into for months is finally noticing her. But Em knows if she starts things with him, there’s no turning back. Because his girlfriend is Em’s best friend.

On the other side of town, Chase is having problems of his own. The stress of his home life is starting to take its toll, and his social life is unraveling. But that’s nothing compared to what’s really haunting him. Chase has done something cruel...something the perfect guy he pretends to be would never do. And it’s only a matter of time before he’s exposed.

In Ascension, mistakes can be deadly. And three girls—three beautiful, mysterious girls—are here to choose who will pay.

Em and Chase have been chosen.

*****

I have to say I was quite disappointed with Fury. I found most of the book slow and relatively uninteresting, but there was just enough happening for me to keep reading otherwise I would have put it down. The blurb pretty much sums up the whole book, which I didn't like. I also didn't really like any of the characters. Em is the not-as-good looking best friend to Gabby, who of course is popular, beautiful and dates the hottest guy in school Zach, who Em has her eye on. Em takes her friends absence as some sort of go ahead to spend time with Zach and knows full what she is doing but tries to constantly justify her actions. It made her seem very immature, and only seems to try and rectify her wrongdoings after a visit from those mysterious girls, when she finds out who they are. Gabby seems all flash and no substance but is probably the most genuine character in the book. Chase is just as bad as Em, although the truth behind his actions takes a little while to come out, you know he's done something bad. They do second guess their actions, but it didn't feel right to me. I just felt like they were bratty, annoying and shallow. I do have to say they realise their wrongs but it comes too late. Only at the very end did I begin to like Em. She did grow as a character, and I will say the last 50+ pages were the best.  I did enjoy the idea of the book, but just wish it was better. I know I shouldn't have, but I judged a book by its cover. The cover is beautiful and I gave Fury an extra half point because of it.

3/5

Interview with Rebecca Lim

For those who haven't heard, what is your novel about? 

Available now.

My latest book for young adults – Mercy – brings together some of the genre-mashing I enjoy as a reader. It’s a YA mystery/crime novel – but with angels and Latin, choral music, school bullies and a whisper of romance thrown in.  
Its heroine is an exiled archangel who constantly finds herself shifted into an unbroken chain of human lives – she keeps “waking” to find herself inhabiting the body of a stranger and is forced continually to think on the fly, seek to find meaning, and adapt, just to survive. Despite possessing shattered memories of who or what she once was, she always remains true to her essential nature, regardless of what’s thrown at her. I tried to imagine what it would be like for someone with extraordinary powers to be suffering from a bizarre kind of amnesia where she only has prismatic flashes of memory and insight. The inklings of more than one past life, and of what she’s truly capable of, would (hopefully) make things interesting and keep the reader guessing, because the character would always be a little off balance. She'd be experiencing pretty much what the reader would be doing - trying to join the dots so that things make sense.  

Can you tell us a little about your lead characters? 

Available now.

With Mercy herself, I consciously set out to create a female heroine who can, literally, do anything if she puts her mind to it. I wanted to show that it's okay to be a smart-mouthed, think-on-your-feet, strong and abrasive, yet empathetic character, who also happens to be female. It's not something that should just be the province of male hero-types. 
Ryan is the mortal boy who stumbles across the fact that Mercy exists, even though the face and body she’s “wearing” and the life she’s “living” belong to someone else altogether. To say he’s intrigued by her, is an understatement. 
Luc is Mercy’s flame from way back that she’s being kept away from for reasons that aren’t yet clear to her (or the reader). Despite Mercy’s exile, Luc is somehow still able to contact Mercy in her dreams, while she’s asleep, though physically, he’s never been able to track her down. When he gets too close, she gets shifted again into another life. 

Is there one place you'd love to go but have never been before? 

Marrakech. It just sounds so otherworldly and beautiful. 

Can you give us a little information about the types of books you write? 

I’ve written books for boys and girls aged 9 –12, toddlers (2 - 4), and teen (13+) and pre-teen (9 – 13) female readers. Every book has been a blast to write but I have to adjust the language (I’m often reminded “no swearing!”) and conceptual layering.  
I probably feel most comfortable writing for the YA age group because they’re open minded and willing to embrace anything the author dishes out, provided it’s a good read and they’re hooked into the story.  

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?  

When I was around 6 or 7, but reality kind of intruded and I got sidetracked into a “respectable” day job for a while.  

Was there any research you had to do for your book? 

I’m a lapsed Presbyterian choir nerd, so for the choral scenes I basically had the Mahler Symphony No. 8 score open next to me while I wrote them.  
But I have to stress that “Mercy” is not pushing any religious wheelbarrow whatsoever. Angels appear across many faiths and cultures and I’m writing non-denominational angels here.  

What is your work schedule like when you're writing?  

A bit mad. I have 3 kids who insist on popping up like gophers in the middle of the night (when I do most of my work). The words are either flowing, or I’m on another planet altogether. 

Do you think you have an interesting writing quirk? 
 
Does brie count as a quirk? 

Where do you get your information or ideas for your books? 

Everywhere. The news is pretty staggering; old poems; trashy magazines; the web; stuff I overhear in the street from eavesdropping on people. 

What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?
 
That YA readers are the most voracious and interested, switched-on and questioning readers out there. It’s an entire universe I don’t think I was fully aware of, and I’m really privileged to be a part of it. 

Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say? 

I haven’t fully committed to the idea of creating a website or blogging about what I’m up to, because I’m not sure if any one would be interested, frankly. But I do catch up on some of my reviews for “Mercy” online. And some of them have been really lovely, but others have been a little surprising. 
I’m just happy when I find out that a reader “gets” what I’m trying to do. You create this stuff in a vacuum and hope that people will like what you’re doing and where you’re headed. 




What do you think makes a good story?  

Strong, authentic, believable characters. Plus, a pacy storyline that doesn't contain too many red herrings or cul-de-sacs. I personally can’t keep reading if the main female character acts brainless or has no backbone. That just gets my goat, sorry. 

Rebecca Lim is a writer and illustrator based in Melbourne, Australia. She worked as a commercial lawyer for several years before leaving to write full time. Rebecca is the author of ten other books for children and young adult readers, and her novels have been translated into German, French and Turkish.

AVAILABLE OCTOBER 27TH 2011








*This is interview is taken from my other blog Strange Candy Reviews.

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine.

Fury by Elizabeth Miles

Publication Date: August 30th 2011

From Goodreads:

The first book in a paranormal teen trilogy featuring three beautiful, mysterious girls wreaking havoc on a small New England town.

Sometimes sorry isn't enough....

It’s winter break in Ascension, Maine. The snow is falling and everything looks pristine and peaceful. But not all is as it seems...

Between cozy traditions and parties with her friends, Emily loves the holidays. And this year’s even better--the guy she’s been into for months is finally noticing her. But Em knows if she starts things with him, there’s no turning back. Because his girlfriend is Em’s best friend.

On the other side of town, Chase is having problems of his own. The stress of his home life is starting to take its toll, and his social life is unraveling. But that’s nothing compared to what’s really haunting him. Chase has done something cruel...something the perfect guy he pretends to be would never do. And it’s only a matter of time before he’s exposed.

In Ascension, mistakes can be deadly. And three girls—three beautiful, mysterious girls—are here to choose who will pay.

Em and Chase have been chosen.

This sounds really good. Love the cover too. I can't believe how many great YA books are being released this year. So, what are you waiting on?