Moonlight & Ashes by Sophie Masson is a gorgeous retelling of the Cinderella fairytale – though probably not as you know it.

Based loosely around the German Cinderella – Aschenputtel – this isn’t a story where you’ll find Fairy Godmothers and Princes who come along to rescue poor Cinders (renamed Selena here) whose fate is out of her own control. Nope, this gutsy heroine does it all herself … with a little help from a hazel twig and some pretty cool magics.

Moonlight & Ashes kicks off where we expect it would. Selena is a slave to her evil step mother and sisters, while her father remains distant and aloof, not seeming to care what becomes of his daughter with his first, deceased wife. Her existence is miserable by all accounts – her step sisters now own the beautiful dresses and jewellery that were once hers, her place is with the lowest of the servants, scavenging for food and a friendly ear. Society has shunned her and the family renamed her as Ashes. But this Cinderella has a secret, bigger than any of them can imagine, told to her by her dying mother: she is a Moon Sister.

Many years ago, magic was outlawed and the last of the Moon Sisters were captured or killed by the Mancers, a menacing and politically powerful association of men and sorcerers. Theirs is the only magic authorised by the government. Selena is, of course, terrified of being found out by the Mancers, and will do anything to stay under their radar and away from magic. She denies anything to do with her Moon Sister heritage. Then, on her sixteenth birthday, she dreams of her Mother and the hazel twig. And this is where things get interesting.

I loved Moonlight & Ashes. I loved that Selena is strong enough to not only take charge of her own life but also the lives of those who she cares for. She’s a fantastic heroine. Far from perfect, Selena makes plenty of stupid mistakes and takes risks that will have you cringing as you turn the page. The story moves quickly, with the Cinderella ball and prince storyline pretty much over and done with in the first eighty or so pages. From there, it’s all adventure, deceit and honour. Ah, and the romance bit. Well, this is based on the Cinderella fairytale you know. Yep, capital F Fairytale – and who doesn’t appreciate a little true love? Just don’t think you already know how this romance ends…

I do wish there had been space to investigate and learn more about the co-stars of this story such as Andel, the barge-dwelling philosopher, Olga, the Ruvenyan Werewolf and Tomi, who I felt was over-looked. They were seriously engaging and interesting characters. Maybe we can cross our fingers for a spin-off there?

Moonlight & Ashes is the first Sophie Masson book I’ve read, so when I looked the author up I was pretty happy to find she had a bit of a back-list. Like, in the vicinity of fifty novels. Fifty! I’ll be checking some of those out. And so should you.

Moonlight & Ashes by Sophie Masson

Published by Random House

Paperback, 318 pages

ISBN – 978 1 74275 379 9

Mid-August will bring us the second in the Percy Jackson franchise: Sea of Monsters. Based on Rick Riorden’s book, this time around Percy and his friends search for the famed Golden Fleece in order to save Camp Half-Blood’s magical borders from its foes. With most of the same cast as the first movie, I think we’ll see a good, fun film about this modern-day demi-god.

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones will also be released in August. Based on Cassandra Clare’s uber-best-selling novel (and the first of six in this series), will tell the story of Clary Fray, a seemingly normal New York teenager, who learns of her secret bloodline – and the war that’s been going on under her very nose for years. Starring Lily Collins as Clary, Jamie Campbell Bower as Jace, and an epic supporting cast including Aidan Turner (think Mitchell the vampire in Being Human and Kili in The Hobbit, *swoon*) as werewolf Luke. Described as an ‘epic adventure fantasy’, we can expect to see lots of demons, angels and, of course, Shadow Hunters.

I don’t think I’m alone in thinking late November is way too long to wait for the second Hunger Games movie: Catching Fire. I loved the first movie, and felt it was as true to the book as it could be, so I’m hoping the filmmakers do just as good a job of the second film. Katniss Everdeen – again played by Jennifer Lawrence – must again fight to save the people she loves – this time in the Quarter Quell. Expect more violence, more heartbreak and more political badness.

Finally, to round the year off: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, with the current release date being December 13th. If you’ve saw ‘An Unexpected Journey’ recently, I’m sure you’ll agree that this is another movie that can’t come too soon. A typical example of a bit of creative license being taken by the movie makers as compared to the book (hey, I thought it worked) – the two remaining Hobbit movies are bound to be box-office winners as well as visual feasts.

So what about you? Which movies are you hanging out to see on the big screen? Which ones won’t you bother at all with, and which ones will you wait for on DVD? Are you worried that turning your favourite books into movies will leave a permanent scar on how you feel about the story, or are you like me, expecting to see small changes that will hopefully enhance your memories of the time spent between pages?

Well, it looks as though 2013 is shaping up to be a huge year for those of us who enjoy going to the movies – especially those of us who like to see a much loved novel turned into something special for the silver screen.

There’s always that nervous anticipation: Will the filmmakers get it right? Will the heroine maintain her gutsy, confident and assured demeanour? Will the hero sound like he does in my head? Will he look like he does in my head? How much will they change? Will there be crucial scenes left out, while new ones are popped in to help with the move from page to screen?

There will always be changes – there has to be. No 400 page novel can be filmed word-for-word and then squished into two hours. But that’s (usually!) okay with me. As long as I can keep the book close to my heart, I like to look at movies as an extension of a favourite story.

So, to kick this year off, the first book-to-movie on my list (yeah, sadly there’s only room for a handful here, so we’re gonna miss a few hundred) is Beautiful Creatures. Based on the Supernatural Romance novel by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, release date is set for February 13 th in Australia, and the 14th elsewhere. The blurb goes something like this: ‘A young man and his mysterious new love interest uncover dark secrets about their families and the small Southern town where they live.’

Oz the Great and Powerful is due to hit the screens in early March. Based on L. Frank Baum’s 1900 novel ‘Wonderful Wizard of Oz’, this one is set before the 1939 film starring Judy Garland. But don’t think Oz is just for the little kids. There’s some fabulously dark themes running through these books. Some big names are associated with Oz the Great and Powerful, including director Sam Raimi (think: the early 2000’s Spiderman trilogy, The Evil Dead, The Gift…) and main cast members Mila Kunis, Michelle Williams and Rachel Weisz.

Another March release is the remake of Carrie, a remake of the 1976 horror classic based on the Stephen King novel of the same name. I’m guessing this one will be for an older teen/adult audience – if you know anything about Carrie’s story, you’ll know that there’s blood. Lots of it. And a Carrie remake – well, I’m not too sure about this one. It’s scary stuff – not just the blood and gore bit – but the whole ‘let’s remake a classic’ thing. Hmmm.

To round March off is The Host. Based on the novel by Stephenie Meyer (yes, she of the Twilight saga), The Host tells the story of an Earth that has been invaded by alien beings called ‘Souls’. Basically, Souls are parasites who take over human bodies. But Melanie Stryder isn’t so keen to let her invader – Wanderer – have her body to itself. I think this movie could go either way, (I’m hoping it’s awesome) especially since in the novel, much of the story happens between Melanie and Wanderer inside their shared mind.

So what about you? Which movies are you hanging out to see on the big screen? Which ones won’t you bother at all with, and which ones will you wait for on DVD? Are you worried that turning your favourite books into movies will leave a permanent scar on how you feel about the story, or are you like me, expecting to see small changes that will hopefully enhance your memories of the time spent between pages?

Burn Mark is the first novel in a planned series set in an alternate, present-day London. It’s a world where witches are both feared and revered. They must be registered with the government, tested for the strength of their ‘fae’ and bridled with iron. Unregistered witches are illegal and – sometimes – dangerous. The worst witch crimes (treason, terrorism and first-degree murder) are punished by a government department called The Inquisition by balefires – the burning of a witch at the stake in the centre of London and televised live across the country.

But like any well – or ill – intentioned law, there’s another side to the argument of protecting against witches, and protagonist Gloriana Starling Wilde (Glory for short) was born right into the thick of it. Covens. In Powell’s world, a coven of witches isn’t all pointy black hats and eyes of newt, but families of organised crime who’ll do anything just to survive and keep their fae from the cruel and often corrupt Inquisition. The side-effect is a mafia-type lifestyle of power, deceit and danger set between the upper and lower classes. Glory comes from a long line of powerful witches and can’t wait for her fae to kick in so she can help restore her coven to its rightful place in society.

The second protagonist in Burn Mark is Lucas Stearne, son of Ashton Stearne, Chief Prosecutor of the Inquistional Court. Lucas has his life firmly mapped out in front of him as a Witchfinder for the Inquisition. That is, until the day he unexpectedly turns fae.

Burn Mark skips between both Lucas and Glory’s points of view. Most of the time it’s very clear whose mind the reader is in, but occasionally it can get a little muddled, particularly early in the book. This makes for a couple of confusing paragraphs as we try to figure our way through a fairly large cast of characters. That said, both Glory and Lucas are very different; one from a lower working class family with a history of crime links, the other from a privileged background of private schooling and society parties. The two are great characters – faulty, believable and easy to empathise with. The banter and tension between the two of them is both fun and frustrating as they figure out how to trust each other (and they must) when they were born natural enemies.

The beginning of Burn Mark is a little slow, but well worth persevering. This was mainly due to a heap of information ‘dumping’ on the backstory and world. It was probably the quickest way for the author to get a lot of information to the reader, but it was also a lot to consume. However, once settled in the world and the characters (there’s a lot. Witches and Inquisition, both) Burn Mark becomes a serious slippery slope of conspiracy and betrayal. Powell’s witches and their fae (not magic. Fae) are unique – I’ve not read anything similar before. Their witchwork is inspired by hoodoo and African-American folklore rather than Harry Potter, and actual historical events are worked into the story too… Queen Elizabeth 1 a witch, anyone? I really enjoyed that this was a world where Facebook is still a place to check someone’s relationship status, and refugees and religion divide public opinion just as they do in our world today.

Burn Mark is to be followed by book two in the series: ‘Witch Fire’, due around May this year.

Burn Mark by Laura Powell

Published by Bloomsbury

ISBN – 9 781408 815229

Paperback, 403 pages.

Mandy’s Top 5 Reads of 2012

So this year, my reading was a little more eclectic than usual. I also read a little less than usual. Maybe that’s because many of the books I read had me pondering their deeper meanings, their nuances, the actual craft of the author. Whatever it was, I still got to read some seriously awesome books. So here’s my top 5 titles, in no particular order:

1/ Red Queen by Honey Brown

Red Queen is one of those titles that’s not quite crime or thriller, not quite spec fic – it just IS. And wow, is it creepy. And beautiful. Brown’s writing has a real melody to it.

2/ Feed, Deadline and Blackout by Mira Grant

Yeah, yeah, I’m cheating here by bundling all three novels of the ‘Newsflesh’ trilogy together. But technically, they’re one story. And you should read them. Now. Before the dead begin to rise.

3/ Sea Hearts by Margo Lanagan

Back when I reviewed Sea Hearts here at Burn Bright in February, I wrote that I adored it. I still do. Margo Lanagan can twist words and sentences into heart-splitting scenes that will play in your memory forever.

4/ Bluegrass Symphony by Lisa L Hannett

I dipped into a few short story collections this year, most from Australian small press.  Lisa’s collection was a real standout for me (along with Felicity Dowker’s Bread and Circuses. But it would be cheating to add that in too. Oh. Oops). Hannett is another author whose words rise and fall like music; Bluegrass Symphony is as twisted and bleak as it is beautiful.

5/ Handling the Undead by John Ajvide Linqvist

More zombies. This time, in a very serious, heartbreaking novel that explores grief and loss. With lots of gory and mucky and cool horror stuff that smells like expensive cheese.

5 Most Anticipated Reads of 2012

Okay, most of these are already out there in the wild, jumping off bookshop shelves. Actually, most are jumping off MY shelf, coz I already have them in my To Be Read pile. I’m just a little backward and haven’t got to them yet. So, here are the five books I can not wait to sink my teeth into next year:

1/ Shine Light by Marianne de Pierres.

Oh. Yeah.

Do I really need to explain? Really?

2/ Stage Fright by Marianne Delacourt

Book three in the Davitt Award Winning Tara Sharp series has been screaming ‘Pick me! Pick me!’ from my bookshelf since the first week it was released. Tara’s noisy like that. I’ll be putting her out of her misery very, very soon.

3/ Illumination by Karen Brooks

Another one from the already-purchased-not-yet-read pile. The third and final book in the Curse of the Bond Riders trilogy, I can’t wait to see what this doorstop of a book has in store for characters Tallow and Dante.

4/ Dead Ever After by Charlaine Harris

The thirteenth and final book in the Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire series is due for release in early May next year. *Sigh*. I hope Sookie finds happiness. I hope she finds love (preferably with Sam, ahem). I hope we get a satisfying ending to the series that spawned the TV show, True Blood.

5/ The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

I know, I know, it’s not new. In fact, The Scorpio Races was released in 2011. But I didn’t know about it until it was recently recommended to me by uber-author, Alison Goodman (EON and EONA) And, you know, when Alison Goodman personally recommends something – you have to read it, right? I’ll let y’all know how I go.