Review: Department 19 by Will Hill


Department 19Department 19 by Will Hill
Release Date:March 31 2011
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages:489
Format:Hardcover
Genre: YA/Supernatural
Series: Department 19 (#1)
Source:Publisher 

Goodreads Synopsis:
Jamie Carpenter's life will never be the same. His father is dead, his mother is missing, and he was just rescued by an enormous man named Frankenstein. Jamie is brought to Department 19, where he is pulled into a secret organization responsible for policing the supernatural, founded more than a century ago by Abraham Van Helsing and the other survivors of Dracula. Aided by Frankenstein's monster, a beautiful vampire girl with her own agenda, and the members of the agency, Jamie must attempt to save his mother from a terrifyingly powerful vampire.

Department 19 takes us through history, across Europe, and beyond—from the cobbled streets of Victorian London to prohibition-era New York, from the icy wastes of Arctic Russia to the treacherous mountains of Transylvania. Part modern thriller, part classic horror, it's packed with mystery, mayhem, and a level of suspense that makes a Darren Shan novel look like a romantic comedy

 My Thoughts;
Department 19 is a modern twist on my most favorite paranormal and supernatural creatures,Frankenstein and Dracula. Will Hill incorporates all of my favorite Bram Stoker and Mary Shelley character's into this wonderful debut novel and adds some new character's who you will most definitely fall in love with. Will is definitely an author that you are going to want to watch out for. An up and coming star with his genre. 


Department 19 is not at all what I expected it to be. The cover threw me off of this exciting new YA/Supernatural novel. I was not expecting to be introduced into the chaotic world of Jamie Carpenter the son of a traitorous father who betrayed his country and left his wife a widow and his son fatherless.

 Two years after Julian Carpenter's death, Jamie comes home to find his mom missing and his world turned upside down. A creature who calls himself Victor Frankenstein takes Jamie into the world of Department 19. The British top secret government agency who has sworn to protect mankind from all that is supernatural and evil. Started around the time of Dracula, Department 19 consists of the founding families who started the agency so long ago.


Jamie is thrust into this world with only one goal in mind to find and get his mother back. But what he doesn't know is that one of the world's oldest vampires has a personal vendetta against his family and will stop at nothing to destroy Jamie as well as the world.


I absolutely adored Department 19. It is one of those novel's that caught me by surprise. I thoroughly enjoyed the entire novel. The only issue I have is with the cover. It threw me off. To be honest if I had seen Department 19 in the stores I would not have picked it up based on the cover. It does not do the novel justice. You begin to understand the cover design as you read the book but like I said if I had seen it on the shelves of my store I probably would have walked right past it.


I am so glad that HarperCollins Canada sent me a copy because I would have missed out on such a great book. I thoroughly recommend to anyone who loves the classic Bram Stoker Dracula and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein to pick up Department 19. Do not base the book by it's cover! Because you will be very sorry if you do. 



Guest Post Shelley Workinger and Giveaway!



 My Photo'                    


I Want to Thank Shelley for coming by. If you have not read her novels Solid or Settling yet, than you are definitely missing out. Thank you for coming by today Shelley. 


For the year people told me that I needed to start a blog, I smiled and thanked and them, but I didn’t really agree. I already had a website and Facebook page to keep readers updated on the series, so I didn’t see a need for a third place to post the same information; I also didn’t want to blog about writing, because that’s what I do for work and I wanted to blog for fun!  

When “Settling” finally went to the printer, I happily found myself with a little extra time to pick up some of the books that’d been accumulating into my own little “Mount TBR.” Of course, that led me to entertain the idea of blogging about books, but I didn’t want to start a book blog unless I could offer something different than all the others. My thought process went like this: Do something special…daily special…fare…bookfare! The word and the idea collided in my mind at the same time; I love food and I love fiction, so why not combine them?  

The premise seemed so simple, so obvious, and so me:  We book lovers all talk about the characters – what they’re thinking, what they’re doing, who they’re doing it with…But What Are They Eating? It wasn’t until I scribbled down the idea that I saw the acronym – BWATE? – as in: But wate (wait), there’s more! Yes, readers, there’s one more layer to that book even after you’ve devoured the plot and the people – a dessert course, if you will.   

And the response from readers has been fantastic. People are hungry – for love, for power, for money, for lunch! – and the food described in books speaks to that part in all of us. But despite how much fun I had launching BWATE?, I knew that I didn’t have to time to digest and serve up more than one book a week. So the obvious solution was to invite some guests to my virtual table! Once I found other writers to stop by and blog about the food in their own work, I realized that they were the sprinkles I hadn’t even known I needed to top my sundae. 

I love all the guests who’ve pulled up seats and I always have room for more, so even if you’re not a writer, come by and let me know what you’re reading and what they’re eating!

You can visit Shelley on her blog Book Fare
On Twitter SWorkinger
On Facebook Solid Series




The lovely Shelley is offering up one copy of Settling to one lucky reader! This giveaway is international and will end on Sunday July 3rd. 
If you would like a chance to win your own copy leave a comment with your email address so we can contact you. 


In My Mailbox The Canada Post Strike Edition

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren 


Because of the Canada Post strike I haven't been receiving any books in the mail but I did get an amazing gift from HarperCollins Canada. I won The Fan of The Week contest that they were hosting on their facebook page and they were so sweet and had it couriered to me! I know how awesome of HarperCollins!! I also went out and bought some books as well!

Follow Friday!! Happy Friday Everyone!



Q: In light of the Summer Solstice. Also known as Midsummer...let's talk about fairies. What is your favorite fairy tale or story that revolves around the fae?

I Would have to say that my favorite Fae story would have to be Lesley Livingston's  Wondrous Strange series! I was not one for Faeries but I have to say that Lesley did a wonderful job! 

Follow Friday! Happy 50th Parajunkee!!




Q! Genre Wars! What's your favorite genre and which book in that genre made it your favorite?
Oh this is easy Paranormal Romance is my favorite genre and the book that started it all was Dark Lover bk 1 in JR Wards Black Dagger Brotherhood series! One of my favorite authors and series! 

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox is hosted by the lovely Kristi from The Story Siren. This is a great way to share the books that you received during the week:) 


Ok this week due to the postal strike that's going on in Canada my mail is all messed up. So my mail is not as steady as it should be.

In My Mailbox Jeanine Frost Edition

In my mailbox is hosted by the lovely Kristi from The Story Siren. Its a great way to showcase the books that you bought. borrowed , gotten from the library or received for review.


I was afraid that this week there wouldnt be an IMM because of the post office strike going on in my area right now, I didn't receive any mail but  a lovely friend of mine from work bought me three Jeanine Frost books. I let her borrow the first book of Jeanine's Nighthuntress Series and she fell in love just like I new she would. So she was sweet and bought me some books of Jeanine's that I didn't have. She said these were her borrower's fees. lol! 

Review: Abandon by Meg Cabot


Abandon (Abandon Trilogy #1)Abandon by Meg Cabot
Release Date: April 26 2011
Pages: 320
Publisher: Point
Format: Hardcover
Genre: YA/Supernatural/Mythology
Series: Abandon (#1)
Source: Bought 

Goodreads Synopsis:
New from #1 New York Times bestselling author Meg Cabot, a dark, fantastical story about this world . . . and the underworld.
Though she tries returning to the life she knew before the accident, Pierce can't help but feel at once a part of this world, and apart from it. Yet she's never alone . . . because someone is always watching her. Escape from the realm of the dead is impossible when someone there wants you back.
But now she's moved to a new town. Maybe at her new school, she can start fresh. Maybe she can stop feeling so afraid.
Only she can't. Because even here, he finds her. That's how desperately he wants her back. She knows he's no guardian angel, and his dark world isn't exactly heaven, yet she can't stay away . . . especially since he always appears when she least expects it, but exactly when she needs him most.
But if she lets herself fall any further, she may just find herself back in the one place she most fears: the Underworld.

My Thoughts:
I really enjoyed Abandon. It did start off a little slow for me but as soon as the story picked up I could not put the book down. Meg has this great quality with her character's that makes you interested in what's going on with them and it makes you feel for them as well.


Her writing style was great as well as the character development. I really enjoyed enjoyed the Hades/Persephone myth that the story was based on. It was definitely a refreshing supernatural tale. I had no issues getting deeply invested in the story. 


I loved John and Pierce. I loved how devoted John is to Pierce even though she doesn't understand that what he is trying to do is protect her. She believes that he just wants to keep her prisoner but that is not the case. She spends years trying to stay away from him but is drawn to him at the same time. She believes that he doesn't feel or care but he does more than she knows.


I loved the situations that Pierce had to go through and I loved that John was always there to save her.


Definitely a great read. I highly recommend it. Meg has this great quality in her writing that just captivates you and makes you want to finish the story. The ending was amazing and it sets up for book 2 very nicely. I cannot wait to finish this trilogy and see where Meg takes her characters.