In My Mailbox (8)

Thanks to Kristi at The Story Siren for hosting In My Mailbox every week!

Here's the weekly library swag:

"Haly is a Libyrarian, one of a group of people dedicated to preserving and protecting the knowledge passed down from the Ancients and stored in the endless maze of books known as the Libyrinth. But Haly has a secret: The books speak to her.

When the threat of the rival Eradicants drives her from her home, Haly learns that things are not all she thinks they are. Taken prisoner by the Eradicants, who believe the written word to be evil, she sees the world through their eyes and comes to understand that they are not the book-burning monsters that she has known her entire life.

The words of a young girl hiding in an attic—written hundreds of years before Haly’s birth—will spark the interest of her captors and begin the change necessary to end the conflict between the Eradicants and Libyrarians. With the help of her loyal companion Nod, a creature of the Libyrinth, Haly must mend the rift between the two groups before their war for knowledge destroys them all. Haly’s life—and the lives of everyone she knows—will never be the same."

"When Reggie finds an old journal and reads about the Vours, supernatural creatures who feast on fear and attack on the eve of the winter solstice, she assumes they are just the musings of some lunatic author. But soon, they become a terrifying reality when she begins to suspect that her timid younger brother might be one of their victims.

Risking her life and her sanity, Reggie enters a living nightmare to save the people she loves. Can she devour own her fears before they devour her?

Bone-chilling, terrifying, thrilling...what are you waiting for?"

"Fans of urban fantasy should prepare for a new kind of vampire–one that feeds off of tears instead of blood. Descended from an ancient line of creatures that gain their energy from human tears, Cassandra Gray depends on human sorrow to live. Only Cass has grown tired of living this life and wants to live like a human, especially now that she's met someone worth fighting for."

New MG Series

Riley has always been one of my favorite characters in Alyson Noel's Immortals Series, and was always disappointed when, particularly in the last couple books, she didn't play a big part. Well, it's no longer a problem, because Noel is giving Riley a series all her own:

"Welcome to the Here and Now.

Riley Bloom left her sister, Ever, in the world of the living and crossed the bridge into the afterlife—a place called Here, where time is always Now. Riley and her dog, Buttercup, have been reunited with her parents and are just settling into a nice, relaxing death when she’s summoned before The Council. They let her in on a secret—the afterlife isn’t just an eternity of leisure; Riley has to work. She’s been assigned a job, Soul Catcher, and a teacher, Bodhi, a curious boy she can’t quite figure out.

Riley, Bodhi, and Buttercup return to earth for her first assignment, a Radiant Boy who’s been haunting a castle in England for centuries. Many Soul Catchers have tried to get him to cross the bridge and failed. But he’s never met Riley..." -Goodreads.com

I've never been a huge fan of MG lit, but I just might have to make an exception in this case. Mostly because Riley flat-out rocks, but also because I'm afraid I'll miss some reference that Noel might make in future Immortals books.

Speaking of which, have you seen the cover for the fourth one coming out in June?

And the title of the fifth one has also been released: Night Star

The Everafter by Amy Huntly

"Madison Stanton doesn't know where she is or how she got there. But she does know this - she is dead. And alone in a vast, dark space. The only company Maddy has in this place are luminescent objects that turn out to be all the things she lost while she was alive. And soon she discovers that, with these artifacts, she can reexperience - and even change - moments from her life.

Her first kiss.
A trip to Disney World.
Her sister's wedding.
A disastrous sleepover.

In reliving these moments, Maddy learns illuminating and frightening truths about her life - and death." -Goodreads.com

Overall: 4/5

This was a pretty quick read. Ususally the other word to go with "quick" is "light", but that wasn't this book at all. This book brings up a lot of different questions about death and how life is looked at from the other side. I love the way Huntley told this story; how it was given to you bit by bit in fragments, yet somehow still managed to get the whole story out in its own time.

I almost hope that death is kind of similar to the way that Huntley describes it in Everafter. It's not outrageously wonderful or extravegant. It's not complete emptiness. It's just mellow and peaceful and.... honestly, very zen. And I kind of like the idea of that.

Characters: 4/5
Plot: 5/5
Writing: 4/5
Ending: 4/5
Cover: 5/5

This is Amy Huntley's first book.

Waiting on Wednesday: She Thief

"The girl, Baz, and the boy, Demi, are master pickpockets. They weave through rich neighborhoods to slip bags off shoulders and wallets out of pockets before disappearing into the crowd. Their loot goes to Fay, who runs a gang of child thieves from her den in the Barrio. This sweltering slum—in a city that is imagined, but all too real—is what passes for home to the kids, and Fay is what passes for family.

That all changes the day Demi steals a magnificent blue ring. Soon, the police chief and the Barrio’s crime boss close in on Fay, and she begins to break under their pressure.

Baz has never doubted Fay before. She’s never been apart from Demi, either. But soon, Baz is left alone to find her way through a world more corrupt than she’s ever realized. Here, the lives of children are thrown away without a moment’s hesitation. Here, the rich and powerful are just thieves on a larger scale. And somewhere in this wreck of a city, Baz must find the scraps of hope, the small acts of kindness, and the steely strength that will take her back to Demi and wash them both out of the Barrio for good." -Goodreads.com

The cover is definitely what drew me into this one. Even if the summary didn't sound very good (though that's not a problem), I think I would still read it just because of that cover.

The summary sounds like a good mix between the classic Oliver and Todd Strasser's Can't Get There From Here. Can't wait!

This book will be released April 13, 2010

Graphic Novels

Kin by Holly Black

Kith by Holly Black

Avalon High: Coronation by Meg Cabot

Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon Hale

Black is for Beginnings by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Desert Tales: Sanctuary by Melissa Marr

Dessert Tales: Challenge by Melissa Marr

There's also a rumor going around that they are in the process of turning the Mortal Instruments Trilogy by Cassandra Clare into grphic novels too. Graphic novels are huge these days, particularly in YA lit.

Thoughts on it? Yay or nay?

In My Mailbox (7)

Thanks to Kristi at The Story Siren for hosting IMM every week!

While high school doesn't actually pay enough for me to buy all of the books that I read, here's what I managed to snag from the library this week:

"Zara and her friends knew they hadn't solved the pixie problem for good. Far from it. The king's needs grow deeper every day he's stuck in captivity, while his control over his people gets weaker. It's made him vulnerable. And now there's a new king in town.

A turf war is imminent, since the new pixie king, Astley, is moving in quickly. Nick nearly killed him in the woods on day one, but Zara came to his rescue. Astley swears that he and Zara are destined to be together, that he's one of the good guys. Nick isn't buying it, though Zara isn't as sure -- despite herself, she wants to trust the new king. But it's a lot more than her relationship with Nick that is at stake. It's her life -- and his."

"Much has changed since autumn, when Kelley Winslow learned she was Faerie royalty, fell in love with changeling guard Sonny Flannery, and saved New York City from a rampaging Faerie war band. When a terrifying encounter in Central Park sends Kelley tumbling into the Otherworld, her reunion with Sonny is joyful—but cut short. For they’ve been plunged into a game of Faerie deception and wavering allegiances in which the next move could topple a kingdom...or part them forever."

"Mally and Merry Brynn thought that with the death of David Jellico, their nightmarish visions of the future and past were gone for good. Now, Merry's only worries revolve around cheer tryouts, and Mally has slipped back into her homebody, tomboy ways.Then a cheerleader lands in the hospital. And a mysterious, beautiful mountain lion is maimed.When they begin to suspect their friend Eden was involved in both events, Merry and Mally are catapulted back into a world of visions that they do not yet understand. And this time, they must race to prevent the people they love most from unspeakable tragedy."

Demon Princess by Michelle Rowen

"As if trying to fit in at a new school isn't stressful enough, sixteen-year-old Nikki Donovan just found out that her long-lost father is, in fact, the demon king of the Shadowlands—the world that separates and protects us from the Underworld. When she is brought there by the mysterious—and surprisingly cute—messenger Michael, she learns that her father is dying, and he wants her to assume the throne. To complicate matters, a war is brewing between the Shadowlands and the Underworld, her half-demon qualities are manifesting, and her growing feelings for Michael are completely forbidden. Ruling a kingdom, navigating a secret crush, and still making it home by curfew—what's a teenage demon princess to do?" -Goodreads.com

Overall: 4/5

I didn't expect to enjoy this book so much. I thought it sounded very light and fluffy (which it was) with some demons thrown in (which they were) and not a whole lot else (which was wrong). There were serveral aspects to this story that I didn't expect, and I liked them all. There were also a couple comments throughout the book that made me gasp, but which Rowen is saving until book #2 to really address. It's killing me knowing that I have to wait all the way until June (or July, I can't remember) to find out how it all works out!

While the plot was a little predictable, I would still recommend this book to anyone looking for a quick and light read.

Characters: 4/5
Plot: 4/5
Writing: 4/5
Ending: 4/5
Cover: 3/5

Other books by Michelle Rowen: Immortality Bites Series, Angels with Attitude, The Demon in Me