Saturday, March 31, 2012

In My Mailbox - April 1, 2012

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme from The Story Siren where you can share your new acquisitions. They can come from anywhere: through the mail, via the library, purchased from a store, or downloaded as ebooks. It's up to you!

Happy April, everyone!  Today's also special in that it would have been my Papaw H's 112th birthday!  I never got to meet him, but I love hearing stories about him.

Anyhoo, there's no video this week.  I'm exhausted and am pretty sure I look like Dracula's long-lost Irish cousin thanks to my paler-than-usual skin tone today.  Instead, we'll just revert back to pictures, shall we?

For Review


Glimmer by Phoebie Kitanidis
coming April 17, 2012 from Balzer + Bray
Thanks to the publisher & SBB ARC Tours


Quarantine: The Loners by Lex Thomas
coming July 10, 2012 from Egmont

Kill Me Softly by Sarah Cross
coming April 10, 2012 from Egmont


Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan
coming September 11, 2012 from Random House BFYR

Kissing Shakespeare by Pamela Mingle
coming August 14, 2012 from Delacorte BFYR


Touched by Cyn Balog
coming August 14, 2012 from Delacorte BFYR

Flutter by Gina Linko
coming October 23, 2012 from Random House BFYR


Arise by Tara Hudson
coming June 5, 2012 from HarperTeen

Dreamless by Josephine Angelini
coming May 29, 2012 from HarperTeen


Once by Anna Carey
coming July 3, 2012 from HarperTeen


Bought


Infinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon


Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins



Borrowed


Devour by Shelly Crane
Borrowed from Heather at SupaGurl Books


Owned But Newly Signed



Friday, March 30, 2012

Covers Revealed - March 30, 2012

Alright, folks, it's time to gear up for another cover reveal summary.  Hold onto your hats!  This week's list is a long one!  So, in case you missed anything, take a look and see if there is anything you need to add to your TBR lists.

Covet (The Clann #2) by Melissa Darnell
coming September 25, 2012 from Harlequin Teen

No description yet
 Defy by Raine Thomas
coming April 30, 2012 from Iambe Books

From Goodreads:
Seventeen-year-old Tate is about to make her parents’ dreams come true. Unfortunately for her, their dreams foretell her death.

Eager to explore more of the Estilorian plane and prove her abilities, Tate goes against her parents’ wishes and leaves the area of protection surrounding her home. Her choice puts her on a deadly path…one that leaves her alone, severely injured and battling for her life.

Her possible savior arrives in the form of Zachariah, a male who has removed himself from Estilorian society for more than fifty years. Fighting an unexpected connection to Tate, he must decide whether saving her life is worth destroying his.

As Tate struggles to find a way home, she ends up drawn into a dark Mercesti plot involving multiple murders and a powerful ancient artifact. With the unpredictable Zachariah as her only source for aid, she’ll soon find out if her abilities are strong enough to help her defy her Fate.

Passenger (The Marbury Lens #2) by Andrew Smith
coming October 2, 2012 from Feiwel & Friends

No description yet

 Stormdancer (UK cover) by Jay Kristoff
coming September 1, 2012 from Tor UK/September 18, 2012 from St. Martin's Press

From Goodreads:
A DYING LAND
The Shima Imperium verges on the brink of environmental collapse; decimated by clockwork industrialization and the machine-worshipers of the Lotus Guild. The skies are red as blood, land choked with toxic pollution, wildlife ravaged by mass extinctions.

AN IMPOSSIBLE QUEST
The hunters of Shima's imperial court are charged by their Shōgun to capture a thunder tiger – a legendary beast, half-eagle, half-tiger. But any fool knows thunder tigers have been extinct for more than a century, and the price of failing the Shōgun is death.

A SIXTEEN YEAR OLD GIRL
Yukiko is a child of the Fox clan, possessed of a hidden gift that would see her executed by the Lotus Guild. Accompanying her father on the Shōgun’s hunt, she finds herself stranded: a young woman alone in Shima’s last wilderness, with only a furious, crippled thunder tiger for company. Even though she can hear his thoughts, even though she saved his life, all she knows for certain is he’d rather see her dead than help her.

But together, the pair will form an indomitable friendship, and rise to challenge the might of an empire.

The Curiosities by Maggie Stiefvater, Tessa Gratton, & Brenna Yovanoff
coming October 2012 from Carlrhoda Books

No description yet

 The One by Heather Self
coming June 15, 2012

From Goodreads:
Stranded on Earth four thousand years they’ve waited for the arrival of the One: some to save her, others to kill her. With her birth, the ancient prophecy could at last be fulfilled and the doorway between the worlds would open. Those who know the prophecy believe this event occurred almost eighteen years ago, and now, they'll stop at nothing to find her.

Seventeen-year-old Eveline has lived her entire life on the move and she hates it. She knows her parents believe she’s the One, and they've done whatever it takes to stay one step ahead of those who want her dead. But Eveline isn't fully convinced that her parents' beliefs match her own. What she does believe is that Leadville, Colorado may be the chance she's been waiting for. The chance to be somewhere safe. The chance for her to make friends and have fun. The chance to finally date a guy. The chance to be a normal girl, at least as normal as possible for someone not human.

Timekeeper (Timeless #2) by Alexandra Monir
coming December 2012 from Delacorte Books for Young Readers

No description yet

Water (Elemental #3) by Shauna Granger
coming June 19, 2012

From Goodreads:
Book Three in The Elemental Series

Shayna's first surfing session of the summer is interrupted by the screams of a mother who has lost her little boy in the water. Without regard to her own safety, Shayna swims out, rescues the boy, but must escape the clutches of something far worse than she could have ever imagined – mermaids.

Compelled to answer the sirens' call, the boys of Shayna's town are drawn to the sea, but when they return are afflicted by an unknown illness, a sickness which is draining them of their life force. Unable to tell anyone about the mermaids, Shayna and her friends are forced to solve the mystery before it's too late, and in doing so, Shayna will finally have to face the full force of her powers. Whether she’s ready or not, she will have to face her true nature.

What Happens Next by Colleen Clayton
coming October 9, 2012 from Poppy

From Goodreads:
How can you talk about something you can't remember?

Before the ski trip, sixteen-year-old Cassidy "Sid" Murphy was a cheerleader, a straight-A student, and a member of a solid trio of best friends. When she ends up on a ski lift next to handsome local college boy, Dax Windsor, she's thrilled; but Dax takes everything from Sid - including a lock of her perfect red curls - and she can't remember any of it.

Back home and alienated by her friends, Sid drops her college prep classes and takes up residence in the A/V room with only Corey "The Living Stoner" Livingston for company. But as she gets to know Corey (slacker, baker, total dreamboat), Sid finds someone who truly makes her happy. Now, if she can just shake the nightmares and those few extra pounds, everything will be perfect... or so she thinks.

Humorous and thoughtful, Colleen Clayton's stunning debut is a moving exploration of one girl's triumph over tragedy.

 The Lies That Bind (The Liar Society #2) by Lisa & Laura Roecker
coming December 1, 2012 from Sourcebooks Fire

From Goodreads:
Kate Lowry thought she’d retired her pearls for good. But that was before Taylor Wright fails to show up for school Monday after the biggest party of the year.

Kate realizes soon enough that the party and Taylor's disappearance are connected--only not in the way everyone thinks. And as if it’s not hard enough to find a missing girl, Kate is forced to team up with the one person she has worked so hard to avoid--not to mention the one person with the potential to come between her and Liam.

As usual, Kate has her hands full searching for the truth amidst many layers of lies.

After all, things are never what they seem at Pemberly Brown.

Author Event Recap - Rachel Hawkins at Parnassus Books

View of Parnassus from the storefront
March has been a fantastic month for author events!  I attended my second one on Wednesday, March 28.  This time, I got to meet Rachel Hawkins for the second time.  The signing took place at the lovely Parnassus Books in Nashville, TN.  It was my first time visiting Parnassus and, I must say, I was very impressed!  It had the feel of an old-fashioned library (including rolling ladders), yet with a whimsical feel thanks to the star light fixtures and the truly adorable children's section.  They had an awesome variety of YA titles.  I'm definitely going to go back for some retail therapy in the near future.

The table full o' Hex Hall glory!
I made the trek to Nashville with the awesome Heather of SupaGurl Books, who was a total blast to travel with.  After I introduced her to the wonder that is Sweet Sallie's (you're welcome, Heather), we stopped by Nikki's house to pick up her book for the signing, then hit the interstate.  We reached Parnassus with plenty of time to browse around and snag prime seats at the very front.  While we waited, we got to know the also awesome Shalena from Writer Quirk, as well as her friend, Megan (hey, girls!).  We didn't have to wait long until Rachel's arrival and, shortly thereafter, the start of the event.

Rachel sharing her stories from the road
Rachel was an absolute riot.  She regaled us with stories of her tour shenanigans with Ally Carter, including the infamous Philadelphia train incident.  We all had a great time listening to her stories and laughing ourselves silly.  There were no frowns at Parnassus, that's for sure!

The book signing portion was a lot of fun.  We got to chat with Rachel a little, get our books signed (with a grape-scented marker, nonetheless), as well as chat with Myra McEntire, who also attended the event.  I think it's safe to say that all of us bloggers enjoyed ourselves immensely judging by the chatter and laughter coming from our group.  We rounded out the event by standing around talking shop for at least an hour after Rachel and Myra left.  I'm definitely looking forward to May when we might all get to hang out at Parnassus again!

Heather, Rachel, & myself

Heather, myself, Rachel, Shalena, & Megan
 

Review - Spell Bound

by Rachel Hawkins
publisher: Disney Hyperion
date of publication: March 13, 2012
format: hardcover
pages: 327
source: purchased
Amazon / IndieBound / B&N / The Book Depository

From Goodreads:
Hailed as “impossible to put down,” the Hex Hall series has both critics and teens cheering. With a winning combination of romance, action, magic and humor, this third volume will leave readers enchanted.

Just as Sophie Mercer has come to accept her extraordinary magical powers as a demon, the Prodigium Council strips them away. Now Sophie is defenseless, alone, and at the mercy of her sworn enemies—the Brannicks, a family of warrior women who hunt down the Prodigium. Or at least that’s what Sophie thinks, until she makes a surprising discovery. The Brannicks know an epic war is coming, and they believe Sophie is the only one powerful enough to stop the world from ending. But without her magic, Sophie isn’t as confident.

Sophie’s bound for one hell of a ride—can she get her powers back before it’s too late?

What I Thought

Can you believe it?  The infamous cliff hanger at the end of Demonglass finally has a continuation!  It has been a long, long wait, but answers are to be had at long last.  This is one of those books that had me feverishly shuffling my review pile just so I could at long last see what the heck happened to Sophie.  Let me tell you: it was very much worth the wait.  Sophie is back with in all her snarkastic glory (hey, it's a word; just watch Gilmore Girls!) and has some huge surprises in store.

I'm so glad to say that Sophie hasn't lost her touch.  I spent just as much time giggling through her exchanges with Archer as I did getting very, very nervous about how she was going to get herself out of her situation.  As it turns out, there is still so much to learn about Sophie, so much so, in fact, that there were several moments during which I was completely blind-sided.  How such a familiar character can still contain that many huge surprises, I'll never know.  As for new additions to the cast of characters, I just have to say it: The Brannicks left me feeling awed.  They are quite the family: red-headed warrior women?  Heck, yeah!  They are the very definition of formidable and I absolutely loved the contribution their addition made to the story.

Spell Bound takes the action from the second half of Demonglass and kicks it into overdrive.  The book pretty much hits the ground running and it seems that there is always something major going on.  There is little time to settle in before the bomb shells start dropping and things start happening.  It is everything I hoped it would be and provided hours of riveting entertainment that didn't quit until the very last page.  Everything from the realization of the villains' master plan to the tragedy that strikes, Spell Bound will leave you seriously considering taking up nail-biting. 

Since I suspect giving away anything major will cause those who haven't had the chance to read it yet to chase me through the street with torches and pitchforks, all I have left to say is that Spell Bound was truly worth the wait.  Rachel Hawkins put some incredible spins on various situations that will definitely leave you reeling.  I know this review gushes more than usual, but it's hard not to get swept up in the humor and light-hearted side of it all.  I absolutely loved it and encourage you to pick it up ASAP!


Thursday, March 29, 2012

Review - The Last Echo

Kimberly Derting
publisher: HarperTeen
date of publication: April 17, 2012
format: ARC
pages: 358
source: SBB ARC Tours
Amazon / IndieBound / B&N / The Book Depository

From Goodreads:
Violet kept her morbid ability to sense dead bodies a secret from everyone except her family and her childhood-best-friend-turned-boyfriend, Jay Heaton. That is until forensic psychologist Sara Priest discovered Violet's talent and invited her to use her gift to track down murderers. Now, as she works with an eclectic group of individuals—including mysterious and dangerously attractive Rafe—it's Violet's job to help those who have been murdered by bringing their killers to justice. When Violet discovers the body of a college girl killed by "the girlfriend collector" she is determined to solve the case. But now the serial killer is on the lookout for a new "relationship" and Violet may have caught his eye....

What I Thought

We've finally come to the third installment in the riveting Body Finder series by Kimberly Derting.  The past 2 books have been wonderfully entrancing and intense.  I worried as to whether or not The Last Echo could evoke the same feelings that The Body Finder and Desires of the Dead, but I needn't have worried.  In fact, it went above and beyond and has become my favorite book in the series yet!

Violet has made a lot of changes since we first met her in The Body Finder.  This time, she has new challenges to face and she definitely shines.  As she goes up against the absolute creepiest adversary yet, the tension and thrill surrounding the events she encounters is amazing.  While she still holds onto a few bad habits that seem to have quite the hold on her, Violet proves to be a very strong character.  She has to be, due to all that she has gone through and all that she has yet to face.

The Last Echo has an amazing plot and quick, edge-of-your seat pacing that doesn't quit.  It was my favorite storyline yet and I was left very, very happy at the end due to the amazing plot twists and well-developed characters.  This book has fully cemented my appreciation of mysteries and thrillers.  I was left wanting more and more.  It was simply that engrossing!

I don't want to risk saying too much more about The Last Echo, as I know there are several of you out there who haven't read it yet.  If you've made it this far into the series, keep going!  If you have yet to pick up the first book, do it!  This is a series that keeps building upon itself and getting better every time.  The Last Echo has earned the highest rating of any book in the series.  It finally reached the full potential I was expecting and I couldn't be more impressed. 



Obligatory legal statement: This ARC was provided to me free of charge by the publisher via Southern Book Blogger ARC Tours. No monetary compensation was received in exchange for this fair and unbiased review. 

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Review - Goddess Interrupted

by Aimee Carter
publisher: Harlequin Teen
date of publication: March 27, 2012
format: eGalley
pages: 299
source: Netgalley
Amazon / IndieBound / B&N / The Book Depository

From Goodreads:
Kate Winters has won immortality.

But if she wants a life in the Underworld with Henry, she’ll have to fight for it.

Becoming immortal wasn’t supposed to be the easy part. Though Kate is about to be crowned Queen of the Underworld, she’s as isolated as ever. And despite her growing love for Henry, ruler of the Underworld, he’s becoming ever more distant and secretive. Then, in the midst of Kate’s coronation, Henry is abducted by the only being powerful enough to kill him: the King of the Titans.

As the other gods prepare for a war that could end them all, it is up to Kate to save Henry from the depths of Tartarus. But in order to navigate the endless caverns of the Underworld, Kate must enlist the help of the one person who is the greatest threat to her future.

Henry’s first wife, Persephone.

What I Thought

Goddess Interrupted, the next installment in the Goddess Test series, picks up 6 months after the events from The Goddess Test.  As a result, a certain level of continuity is achieved, though it wasn't the type of continuity I was expecting.  Where I expected amazing advancements in the story, I just didn't get what I had hoped for.  In many ways, continuity isn't the best thing.

Kate, Kate, Kate: what can I say about Kate?  I wasn't very sure how I felt about her this time around.  While she had a certain amount of uncertainty in The Goddess Test, Kate was well beyond that in Goddess Interrupted.  Instead of wary uncertainty, she is one big bundle of insecurity.  As for Henry, all I can say is, "What the heck?"  Truthfully, he's a pretty big jerk in Goddess Interrupted.  It's almost as if his behavior from The Goddess Test was kicked up a few notches into the realm of insensitivity and inconsiderateness.  All in all, both Kate and Henry continued down the path their attitudes and issues were leading toward and didn't really branch out into very much positivity.  With the exception of Diana, I just couldn't get behind most of the characters this time around. 

The plot had a nice amount of tension behind it, which is just what you would expect when Kronos is gunning for Kate and her new Olympian family.  Calliope is a formidable foe thanks to her mental status and the belief that she has nothing to lose.  That she believes she can order a Titan about attests to her instability and delusions.  I know I wouldn't want to come up against someone like her.  The premise serves as the highlight of this book and I can at least say that I enjoyed that aspect.

I had seriously hoped to be blown away by this book.  However, that just didn't happen.  While the premise is a good one, the behavior of the characters was enough to turn me off and made enjoying the book difficult.  I know I will likely be the odd duck with my rating.  Nevertheless, I felt that Goddess Interrupted didn't quite come up to the standard presented by The Goddess Test.  As a result, I have chosen to give Goddess Interrupted 2 hoots. 


Obligatory legal statement: This eGalley was provided to me free of charge by the publisher via Netgalley. No monetary compensation was received in exchange for this fair and unbiased review.

Monday, March 26, 2012

Top Ten Tuesday - Top 10 Books I'd Play Hooky With

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme from The Broke and the Bookish.  The purpose of this meme is to create a list based on weekly prompts.  Just link back to The Broke and the Bookish, then add your name and blog post to their link widget.  That's it!

This is a purely fantasy topic for me, as I highly doubt I'm going to get to play hooky very much this spring.  Nonetheless, I know exactly what I would read.

Top Ten Books I Would Play Hooky With









Ruta Fans
 
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