Book Review - Clariel - Garth Nix

Clariel by Garth Nix
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

DUE OCTOBER 2014

I really enjoyed this book.

It has been years since I read any of the Old Kingdom series by Garth Nix but this book threw me back and didn't let go until I had finished it.

Set 600 years before the Old Kingdom series, Clariel is a slightly selfish teenage who is thrown into a city not of her choosing. No one seems to care that she is unhappy and it is that unhappiness which breeds dissent. All Clariel wants to be left alone and become a Borderer, a member of the forest guards who patrolled the woods and forests of the kingdom. Instead her entire family move the Capital of the Old Kingdom to further the ambitions of her mother and she feels trapped by all the stone and people.

Clariel has to make a choice and it is one that will lead to the events of Sabriel, Lirael and Abhorsen.

Well written and engaging, this stand alone prequel does credit to Garth Nix.

Now I am going to go back and re-read Sabriel again.

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Minecraft Books

You're alone in a mysterious new world, full of hidden dangers. You have only minutes to find food and shelter before darkness falls and the monsters come looking for you. What do you do? The Official Minecraft Beginner's Handbook might just save your life. You can learn how to make a shelter, find resources, craft tools, armour and weapons, and protect yourself from monsters. With tips from Minecraft experts, as well as creator Notch himself, this is the definitive guide to how to survive your first few days in Minecraft.

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The OFFICIAL Combat Handbook will teach you everything you need to know to defend yourself from hostile monsters and enemy players. In Minecraft, you're never alone and the threat of attack is constant. How will you survive? The Official Combat Handbook will teach you everything you need to know to defend yourself from hostile monsters and enemy players. You can learn how to build a fort, craft armor and weapons, set mob traps, defeat your enemies in one-on-one combat, and battle your way out of the Nether and the End. With tips from Minecraft experts, developer Jeb, and creator Notch himself, you'll be a Minecraft warrior in no time!

If you can dream it, you can build it in Minecraft! This OFFICIAL guide will give you tips and tricks on how to be a creative genius! You can make theme parks with incredible waterslide rides, or entire pirate coves complete with galleons! Is there nothing that can't be achieved in Minecraft? Here the experts talk you through amazing constructs which range from awe-inspiring cathedrals to wacky inventions--like the hilarious animal cannon that catapults cows out to sea! Find out which are Notch's personal favorites and get step-by-step instructions to fuel your own creative genius. Be ORE-some!

Fantastic Boxed Sets

RRP $69.95 Our Price $39.95

These are six best-selling books from one of the world's most famous children's authors of all time. This magical boxed set includes the classic stories The Magic Faraway Tree, The Folk of the Faraway Tree and The Enchanted Wood accompanied by The Adventures of the Wishing-Chair, The Wishing-Chair Again and More Wishing-Chair Stories. You can come on an amazing adventure to the Enchanted Wood where you can climb the Faraway Tree and meet Moon-Face, Saucepan Man and Silky the Fairy. There's always a new land at the top of the Faraway Tree. Then discover the most extraordinary thing: a chair that can fly and grant wishes. Whichever book you choose, there'll be adventures waiting to be read. Enid Blyton's funny, magical adventure stories have become true classics, loved by millions and still selling thousands of copies every year.

RRP $99.99

George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series has set the benchmark for contemporary epic fantasy. Labelled by Time magazine as one of the top 100 most influential people in the world, Martin has conjured a world as complex and vibrant as that of J.R.R. Tolkien's, populated by a huge cast of fascinating, complex characters, and boasting a history that stretches back twelve thousand years. Three great storylines weave through the books, charting the civil war for control of the Seven Kingdoms; the defence of the towering Wall of ice in the uttermost north against the unearthly threat of the Others; and across the Narrow Sea the rise to power of Daenerys Targaryen and the last live dragons in the world.

RRP $79.99 Our Price $49.99

Six of Dr. Seuss's sensational tales in this fantastic slipcase. Contains - Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose Marvin K Mooney Will You Please Go Now Hunches in Bunches The Cat in the Hat Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories Oh, the Places You'll Go!

RRP $49.95

Be part of the magic of storytelling all over again with these gorgeous classic gift sets full of stories to love. Includes 6 hardback books * All the books are stored in a stunning slipcase designed as a book that becomes the perfect place to store your stories - or your own secrets! * Matt lamination and spot UV to the case adds old-school glamour * Noddy and Sesame Street are brands that parents have loved for decades. Their appeal has hit the same sweet notes with the next generation and proves that classic stories never lose their appeal.

National Bookshop Day Photos

Book Review - Red Queens War #1 Prince of Fools - Mark Lawrence

Prince of Fools by Mark Lawrence
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The author drew me into this book quite quickly and I really liked the characters. Prince Jalan Kendeth is the Red Queen's grandson. He is a gambler, coward and drinker - but he is a nice guy. He is honest about his failings but when he gets caught up with the Silent Sister (his grandmother's secret weapon)his life changes forever.

Snorri is a Viking who was sold to the Red Queen. He brings tales of the dead rising and war. Jalan thinks it is all lies and just wants to get back to his life of hedonism. When the Silent Sister strikes, all hell breaks lose and Jalan and Snorri are magically thrown together on a ride of revenge, friendship and snow.

Well written and definitely a page turner. If you love a good fantasy that takes you straight away, then this is the one for you. I really can't wait to see how the game plays out!

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National Bookshop Day 2014