Becky's Book Reviews

UPDATE: This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to Denisa who has won a copy of Flawed as well as a temporary tattoo. Stay tuned for more giveaways!   So recently, the lovely folk from HarperCollinsUK and JB publishers sent me a lovely prize pack of books consisting of Cecilia Ahern’s debut YA dystopian fiction novel, Flawed.  Since I’ve read, loved and reviewed it - and since I’ve got spare copies - I’m offering readers a chance to win a copy of the US edition, along with a temporary tattoo.  READ: My review of Flawed US edition of Flawed. Giveaway details to follow. #bookstagram #books #yafiction A photo posted by Tammy (@tammy_bookbell) on May 2, 2016 at 7:39am PDT I’ll also be doing a giveaway for a signed copy of the UK edition, but that will be as part of the Women24 book club newsletter and will be open to South African residents only. More details on that to follow (if you don’t want to miss out on the chance to win that signed copy, you can sign up for the n...

In today’s post, I’m highlighting The Glittering Court, the fabulous new book from bestselling author Richelle Mead. The book was released earlier this week and I, for one, can’t wait to read it. To celebrate the release, the publishers are offering readers a chance to win a hardback copy, as well as 25$ Sephora gift card. Below you can also find more information on the book.  Title: THE GLITTERING COURT Author: Richelle Mead Pub. Date: April 5, 2016 Publisher: Razorbill Format: Hardcover, eBook, & audiobook Find it: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Goodreads The Selection meets Reign in this dazzling trilogy of interwoven novels about three girls on a quest for freedom and true love from #1 internationally bestselling author Richelle Mead. "Brilliant and original, Mead’s new series starts off with a bang and will leave readers on the edge of their seats until the very end." —School Library Journal For a select group of girls, the Glittering Court offers...

Hiya lovelies Today I’d like to welcome SA YA author, Joanne Macgregor to my blog today.  I’m pretty excited for today’s post because Joanne not only touches on a subject that is close to my heart and one that is relatable on every level, but Jo’s also generously made up a swag package filled with all sorts of goodies (including a signed copy of Scarred, her latest contemporary YA novel) and is offering one lucky reader the chance to win the entire hamper. I don’t know about you, but I’ve spent the majority of my teenaged years feeling like I don’t belong.  To me I was the ugly, fat and mostly friendless girl who was socially awkward and generally inept at anything relating to the development of any life skills whatsoever. And, truth be told, adulthood hasn’t changed my perception about myself much. I know. I know. We’re so ridiculously cruel to ourselves, aren’t we? Which is why I’m so glad for the post that Jo’s written today. Her book, Scarred features a protagonist who is ...

Hello lovely bloggers So this was actually meant to December post, as I planned on doing this in conjunction with my birthday, but then I decided to take a bit of a break (both work wise and blog wise) and opted to keep this giveaway for January instead.   For me, 2015 proved to be a pretty great year in terms of reading and I thought I’d kill two birds with one stone by not only sharing 5 of my favourite reads of the year, but also by offering a blogger a chance to win any two of the titles listed below. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (this one’s signed) Darkly enchanting, sensuous and lush in its settings and descriptions, this book combines elements from two fairy tales as well as a traditional piece of folklore based on an old Scottish ballad, to tell the story of Feyre, a young huntress who finds herself in the fairy borderlands after inadvertently getting herself into trouble Read the rest of my review over here : The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich This book messe...

So, I’ve got another little treat for you lovelies.  I was debating whether or not to hold back this giveaway until I’ve actually read and reviewed the book (which should be sometime in November, I hope), but thought, hey, why deprive you of an opportunity to win a book sooner? I’d never be that cruel. The awesome folks from Pan Macmillan are offering two lucky readers a chance to win 1 of 2 signed copies of Patrick Ness’s latest novel, The Rest of Us Just Live Here.  All you need to do is leave a comment below and tell me what your favourite contemporary read of 2015 is so far and why, and you’ll stand a chance of winning. Being a follower is not required, but is nonetheless appreciated.  Oh and please feel free to tweet or FB the giveaway! Open to SA readers only (Alas, sorry international lovelies, I’ll have something coming your way soon) Giveaway closes 25 October. In the meantime, here’s some more info about the book. The Rest of Us Just Live Here What if you aren...

Hi fellow book lovelies It’s been a while since I’ve updated my blog. I’ve been away for a couple of weeks (I’ve had a very good reason – which I’ll elaborate more on sometime in the future), but know that I haven’t forgotten about the ACOTAR giveaway. If you have yet to get yourself a copy of this amazing read (my review will be up in the next week or so), you’re in luck because today I’m going to give you the opportunity to win a copy of the book. Two of the three copies will go to a South African reader and the third one will go to a reader based in any country the Book Depository ships to. International lovelies – to sweeten the deal, I’m actually going to give you the option to choose between ACOTAR and Queen of Shadows. Rules: Here’s what you need to do: Simply leave a comment below or tweet me (@ Tammy24_7 )  with a response to the following question: Which fantasy novel do you think is severely underrated and why do you think more people should know about it? Competition...

It's been a while since I've done a book spotlight, so thanks to Rockstart Book Tours, I'm really happy to be able to feature  AN EMBER IN THE ASHES by Sabaa Tahir, which releases in the US today. I don't know about you, but I cannot wait to get my hands on a copy. Below you can check out some info about the book, enter a giveaway courtesy of Penguin Teen, read a letter from Sabaa and view the book trailer. Enjoy! A letter from Sabaa Tahir. Dear Readers, Today, my “baby” AN EMBER IN THE ASHES is finally out in the world! From inception to pub date, this journey took eight years. And what a journey it was: writing, rewriting, revising, editing, querying, submitting; Meeting other debuts, bloggers, booksellers and librarians, and hearing their thoughts on EMBER. There aren’t enough superlatives to describe the radness. And now, the book is here! I am so excited to see it in the hands of readers. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. To celebrate rel...

UPDATE: Thanks so much to everyone who entered the giveaway. Unfortunately there could only be one winner, but don't fret, because there'll be more of these to come. That said, congratulations to The Book Wurrm. You've won yourself copies of any two books listed below. You have 48 hours to claim your prize, thereafter which another winner will be chosen. Next giveaway will be coming your way in the near future. ______________________________________________________________ Today I’m all about celebrating some of South Africa’s most talented authors and because I want their books to be read widely and everywhere, I’m making this an international giveaway (Yay - although I should add that my giveaways are almost always open worldwide). I’m offering two of any of the books listed below to one lucky winner. All you need to do is leave a comment and tell me what the one book is that you wish more people would read or talk about and why. Below are just a few of the many wonderfu...

Eek. Hiya there my fellow book nerds I’m so sorry for not posting these details any sooner. I’ve been focusing on wrapping up things at work before I go on leave (yay – tomorrow’s my last day for the year), which meant that my blog had to take a bit of a backseat. I finally have some time though, so without further ado, the winner of the YA hamper giveaway is… Muneera , whose response to question posted on the giveaway is as follows: The best book I've read this year is Landline by Rainbow Rowell. The male protagonist, Neal, is so dreamy. *sigh* he's grumpy and dislikes everything but, to paraphrase, loves his wife more than he hates everything else. Rainbow Rowell is a magical storyteller; her stories are engrossing and she writes the best female characters. Congratulations! Just a little reminder about what you've won: Please mail your details to me at tammybell78(at)gmail(dot)com. Thanks to everyone else who entered the giveaway – and don’t worry, I’ve plenty of excitin...

So, with it being festive season, and my birthday month, I’ve teamed up with the fabulous Tarryn from Pan Macmillan to bring you this awesome giveaway. In today’s giveaway, we’re offering one lucky reader a chance to win a hamper containing the following books: Cassandra Clare’s The Bane Chronicles, The Jewel by Amy Ewing, Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl (yup, for those who didn’t get a chance to win a copy of the book last time), Deep Blue by Jennifer Donnelly and The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton. All you need to do is leave a comment telling me what the best book you’ve read this year is and you’ll be entered into this giveaway. Bonus entries if you tweet or promote it in any form whatsoever.  Being a follower is not required, but it is always appreciated. Giveaway closes on Sunday, 21 December. Winner announced on the same day. Update: Extending it until tomorrow, 22 December. This one’s open to South African residents only . International lovelies...

Meet and become best friends with the book that was written for every single person who’s ever obsessively geeked out over some form of pop culture. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell (Pan Macmillan 2014) Welcome to the Fandom. It’s a place where the world you created may not belong to you, but in which you get to change the rules in a way that leaves you with the freedom to be in control. For most people, the fandom is a treasure palace that encourages the inner geek in everyone to embrace living life vicariously through the eyes and stories of protagonists that are, in many cases more real to us than the people we’re surrounded by on a daily basis. Being a fangirl/fanboy of anything pop culture related often leaves us feeling as if we have one foot in this expanded fantasy, while the other foot forces us to maintain a sentient presence in our corporeal world. As someone who considers herself to be the ultimate shipper of note, I think I speak on behalf of everyone when I say that it’s so much...

Raru , SA's new online retailer, is having a competition specifically for all the book lovers out there.  All you have to do is take a few seconds to register on the website , then browse through the book department and write a review on any book you've read. The best reviews each week will stand a chance to win a Samsung Galaxy Tab 3, and there are some great book hampers (Some of which include the following books: Behind Palace Walls - Cay Garcia , Dis Koue Kos, Skat - Marita van der Vyver and Huisgenoot Wenresepte 1 - Annette Human amongst others  ) up for grabs! Competition runs from 11 August to 24 August 2014, so get writing!  The more reviews you write, the better your chances! Click here to visit the Raru website. Terms and Conditions Competition is valid from 11 August to 24 August 2014 Winners will be notified via e-mail Prizes cannot be exchanged for cash Reviews are subject to approval by Raru staff – inappropriate reviews will not be published and won't be...

So a huge, huge thank you to everyone who entered the House of Sand and Secrets Giveaway.  I must say I wasn’t expecting the lovely responses to the giveaway, but I really enjoyed reading every single one of them. With the launch of the book today (Happy Book Birthday Cat), what better way than to celebrate by announcing the winners of the giveaway today? Also, because there can only be two winners, I thought I’d give everyone a shout out by sharing everyone’s responses in this post (Ha, and no, I’m definitely not surprised that Hogwarts made it onto this list). So, without further ado, here are your responses. Winner details follow below: Alex: The realm I'd love to visit would have to be the Discworld and Ankh Morpork especially. A tete-a-tete with the patrician, Rincewind and Sam Vimes would probably be the highlights of such a visit. be no difference. Another Librarian: I would like to visit Middle Earth specifically a fact-finding mission to Mordor to determine if the regime c...