The Pegster - reads

Description (from Amazon)

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My thoughts:


If you have read Keith's Watcher's series, you will agree with me that he is firmly establishing himself as author of books of slightly odd teenage boy who gets thrown into a strange world which will become his world. 

Alex, a college kid, is regarded as slightly odd by his peers, as he has withdrawn himself from most of his friends since his mother vanished a few years prior. He lives with his father who owns a electro-magnetics research company. They both clearly are deeply effected but are supporting each other. On the 6th anniversary of his mother's disappearance, Alex gets called away in school to the head's office where he finds Silas, who works at his father company. Silas tells Alex that his father has also vanished and Silas has been made Alex' guardian. Silas behaves very strange, and Alex does not like him at all.  Silas then tells him about the research Alex' father was working on which involved teleportation from one place to the next within a second using a special suit. He wants to know if Alex can provide him with any information, whether his dad has told him anything. Alex fears that Silas' interest might have an ulterior motive, and goes to investigate. He finds the suit and instructions from his dad to destroy everything. But all Alex wants is to find his dad, and maybe even his mum and hopefully this place where they have vanished to. Only one way to find out, and this is to try the suit to teleport himself. The world he will find is nothing like he could have imagined. 

I did not know the original story of the 'Missing Colony of Roanoke'. and while the author has spun a wonderful story around it, it is not a historical book, but firmly set in the present day. 

What I like about the book, apart form that it is easy to read, is that even though 'The Under' is of course an invention of the author - a different world and there are supernatural elements - it is still completely believable and I could imagine inventions like that can happen. Or maybe I should not let my reading cloud my perception of the world? Oh no, long may it continue and long may we receive wonderful books like this to take us into different worlds. 

This is a great start book to a new series, and I can't wait to see how it continues for Alex and everyone in 'The Under'. 

Title	Celebrity Blood
Author	Nathalie Suteau
Publisher	Ebookit.com (Kindle UK Edition)
Publication Date	09.04.2012
Pages	263
Genre	urban fantasy

I have received this book last week and decided to give it a go straight away and I didn't regret it. I understand that this book was published in France before the vampire diaries even surfaced here.  This is urban fantasy with a very contemporary twist, as it is set completely in present time UK / France.

This is the opening paragraph:
'' Upon reading the pages that follow, you might think I'm mad, or a corruptible young man looking for recognition and his fifteen minute of fame. I am neither, but I won't try to prove that to you. I am writing these lines out of love and duty, to bring closure to the first chapter of my short existence. " 

The story is essentially told from 2 different viewpoints - Julie and Milo. Initially we meet Julie, a 28 year old French woman who works in an office and is desperately bored with her life, which appears devoid of love. And when Julie says that if a person would die in her office and slip under the desk, they wouldn't be found for a few days, it is clear this was not some funny ha-ha joke, but she is dead serious.  Julie than travels to London on a business trip and meets Milo, an 18 year old Italian student and computer hacker. Milo is fresh, young, exciting, full of life and Julie 'feeds off ' his emotions and excitement. But they part ways and they did not really agree to meet up again.

Whilst in London, Julie had found an USB stick in a restaurant. Back in France in her boring office, she discovers that it contains a manuscript, written by a UK journalist, who appears to be secretly investigating famous Hollywood actor Stuart Shelby for multiple murders. The first murder allegedly occurred when Shelby was only a teenager and his teenage sweetheart was murdered. In her quest for excitement, Julie starts to play 'cat and mouse' by going into Internet chatrooms dedicated to the fans of Shelby and posts the manuscript, posing as a fan herself. It doesn't take long for Shelby to notice, so he calls her to London for a film premier. Julie's world will never be the same from than on, and Milo will come back into her life again (yes!). The lives of Julie, Milo and Shelby will be linked by the events to follow.

All 3 main characters are very different, and Julie is probably the most complex. I was not sure about her until the events with Keira (which I will not reveal here, as you would need to see for yourself!) Milo, not surprisingly, is probably my favourite character. Who wouldn't love a 18 year old exciting young Italian who is also naive and sweet?  I felt for him and was so wishing for him the whole time that 'everything will turn out good' for him.

I loved the book, I couldn't put it down and it drew me in from the beginning. The story never stalls, and I particularly like that it is set all in present day and no 'link-back' to some ancient times. I think it would make a very good movie actually. You've heard it here first - maybe I should buy the rights :). I'm not sure if there is a sequel, but I'm not sure if a sequel would work for me. Mainly because I liked the ending and prefer to leave it that way. But I will definitely look out for Suteau.

Lastly, I would like to give credit to the translator Amy Conley. I don't speak French at all, but I never reads like a translation, and that's how it should be.