In My Mailbox {110}

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren,
where we all share what we got during the week.

Here's what was in my mailbox this week:
For Review:
Darkness Falls by Jessica Sorensen
If the cover is any indication, I'm in for some kick-butt vampirey action from this one!

The Unnaturalists by Tiffany Trent
Fairies, science, myth, and steampunkery!! *Extremely* excited for this one!!

Such a Rush by Jennifer Echols
I am excited to try this one out---I've only read one other Echols book and it wasn't really my cup o' tea. This story looks promising, though!

Thanks to Jessica Sorensen, Simon & Schuster, & MTV Books for these!


New on my Nook:

Netgalley:
Hanging by a Thread by Sophie Littlefield
Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan
Both of these sound great! I've never read anything by Brennan, but this story sounds amazing; and I'm definitely looking forward to a new story from Littlefield!

What was in your mailbox?? Hope everyone had a fantastic book week!

Review: Goddess Interrupted by Aimée Carter

Goddess Interrupted by Aimée Carter

publisher: Harlequin Teen

release date: March 27th, 2012

paperback, 304 pages

intended audience: Young adult

series: Goddess Test, book 2 (review of book 1)

rating:



source: Netgalley

Spoiler alert! Description and Review may contain spoilers for book one, The Goddess Test. If you haven't read book 1, stop here!

description: Kate Winters has won immortality. But if she wants a life with Henry in the Underworld, 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.

Review: In Goddess Interrupted, we find Kate Winters in another emotional roller coaster. She has just returned from her six months in the mortal world, traveling with her best friend, James. She is excited to see her new husband, Henry, again and expects to be welcomed to her new home in the Underworld with kisses and wide open arms. What she comes back to instead is a cold, standoffish Henry who is in the midst of planning for war. One of their own has turned against them, wielding the only power that can kill the immortal Gods and Goddesses---the Titans who created them all.

For about 100 pages in, I had mixed feeling for Kate and her plight. There were times I really felt for her and the lack of love she was feeling from Henry, and times I thought her whining got to be a little much, considering he was a little preoccupied trying to figure out a way to protect them all to make sure she was settling into her new home. But she did have it rough---a new world, and not exactly sure what her role as Queen of the Underworld entails, nothing is being explained to her aside from the little information she can get from James and Ava, a Titan seems to be targeting her specifically, she discovers she has a new disorienting and uncontrollable power, and worst of all, she has to turn to the last person she wants to involve---her sister and Henry's first wife who she thinks he still loves, Persephone. It actually wasn't until they reach Persephone that the story really pulled me in. Up until then, it's the journey there, some exploration of the Underworld, and bit of back story on how the Gods came to be.

Its in the second half that the fight gets more exciting, the danger gets closer to the surface, and the tension between Henry and Kate builds and builds to the breaking point. Kate continues to be an incredibly admirable and relatable character---brave in the face of danger and vulnerable in the face of love. Like I said, there were definitely times she got a bit self-pitying, but there were also times I wanted to punch Henry right in the face for crossing the line between being distant and being downright cruel. Still, I think it says a lot that I got so invested in these characters and their turbulent romance. I won't say too much, but they did eventually get a little swoony heart-flutter out of me...and that always makes for a good read. :)

While I may not have loved this one as much as the first book, I will definitely be sticking with this great series about love, war, and immortality.

Visit Aimée Carter's website: www.aimeecarter.com

Purchase Goddess Interrupted at: Amazon • BN.com • BookDepository • Indiebound

Cover Story + A Peek Inside: The Curiosities by Maggie Stiefvater, Brenna Yovanoff & Tessa Gratton

Over at the Merry Sisters of Fate, a collaborative blog created by Maggie Stiefvater, Brenna Yovanoff, and Tessa Gratton, they have revealed the cover for their new book! The Curiosities looks amazing; it's a collection of the short stories that have been featured at Merry Sisters of Fate, which would be awesome all by itself, but the book also features little scribblings and illustrations by the authors. I just heard about this book for the first time yesterday and I can tell you, I am so excited to get my hands on it Fall 2012!!

The beautiful cover:

Synopsis:

A vampire locked in a cage in the basement, for good luck.

Bad guys, clever girls, and the various reasons why the guys have to stop breathing.

A world where fires never go out (with references to vanilla ice cream).

These are but a few of the curiosities collected in this volume of short stories by three acclaimed practitioners of paranormal fiction.

But The Curiosities is more than the stories. Since 2008, Maggie Stiefvater, Tessa Gratton, and Brenna Yovanoff have posted more than 250 works of short fiction to their website merryfates.com. Their goal was simple: create a space for experimentation and improvisation in their writing—all in public and without a backspace key. In that spirit, The Curiosities includes the stories and each author’s comments, critiques, and kudos in the margins. Think of it as a guided tour of the creative processes of three acclaimed authors.

So, are you curious now?

And a little peek at an annotated page and some of the fun illustrations inside:

And a trailer!

Doesn't this look incredible? Often I would say I don't go in for short story collections, but this looks too fun to pass up and involves three amazing authors! Be sure to stop by the Merry Sisters of Fate site---they are giving away a few ARC copies of The Curiosites this weekend!

Review: The Humming Room by Ellen Potter

The Humming Room by Ellen Potter

publisher: Feiwel & Friends

release date: February 28th, 2012

hardcover, 192 pages

intended audience: Middle Grade

stand-alone

rating:



source: from publisher from honest review

description:
Hiding is Roo Fanshaw's special skill. Living in a frighteningly unstable family, she often needs to disappear at a moment's notice. When her parents are murdered, it's her special hiding place under the trailer that saves her life.

As it turns out, Roo, much to her surprise, has a wealthy if eccentric uncle, who has agreed to take her into his home on Cough Rock Island. Once a tuberculosis sanitarium for children of the rich, the strange house is teeming with ghost stories and secrets. Roo doesn't believe in ghosts or fairy stories, but what are those eerie noises she keeps hearing? And who is that strange wild boy who lives on the river? People are lying to her, and Roo becomes determined to find the truth.

Despite the best efforts of her uncle's assistants, Roo discovers the house's hidden room--a garden with a tragic secret.

Inspired by The Secret Garden, this tale full of unusual characters and mysterious secrets is a story that only Ellen Potter could write.

Review: One of the things I love most about retellings is that lovely feeling of familiarity that you get. A really good retelling tends to feel like an old friend that you are seeing in a new light. I loved Frances Hodgson Burnett's The Secret Garden when I was little, still do actually, and I really think Ellen Potter did a wonderful job of revisiting this classic tale. The bones of the original story are still there, a feisty heroine, an old gloomy house that holds a hidden secret, a distraught shut-in cousin...but she bumps up the intrigue with a little more of a mystical atmosphere, a few ghostly surprises, and just the tiniest hint of that first discovery of love.

I absolutely loved Roo. Fierce little thing with a bit of a jaded outlook on life, being raised by drug-dealing parents. She is small for her age, and odd but very clever---she's a bit sticky-fingered and loves to hide away for hours, alone in her own head. When her parents are murdered, she is sent to live with an uncle she didn't know existed, in his creepy old house that was once a children's tuberculosis hospital. What I loved the most was that this story accomplished one thing in less than 200 pages than some never do in twice that length---character growth, and beautifully done! Roo grows, emotionally, physically, metaphorically. I am always looking for great characters, and this story was full of them. Mrs. Valentine, Phillip, and especially Violet and Jack---I loved them all.

One thing that did stray from the original, but fitting right in with the garden story---both Roo and Jack both seemed to have a mystical connection with the elements, him to water and her to earth. I don't want to give more than that away, but it gave the whole story a feeling of enchantment and charm.

A definite reminder of why I still love to read middle grade fiction!


Visit Ellen Potter's website: www.ellenpotter.com

Purchase The Humming Room at: Amazon • BN.com • BookDepository • Indiebound

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It lets us all gush about what soon-to-be released books we are jumping-up-and-down excited for.

Because It Is My Blood
by Gabrielle Zevin

hitting shelves September 18, 2012 from Farrar, Straus, & Giroux

(cover shown may not be final)

description:
Since her release from Liberty Children's Facility, Anya Balanchine is determined to follow the straight and narrow. Unfortunately, her criminal record is making it hard for her to do that. No high school wants her with a gun possession charge on her rap sheet. Plus, all the people in her life have moved on: Natty has skipped two grades at Holy Trinity, Scarlet and Gable seem closer than ever, and even Win is in a new relationship.But when old friends return demanding that certain debts be paid, Anya is thrown right back into the criminal world that she had been determined to escape. It’s a journey that will take her across the ocean and straight into the heart of the birthplace of chocolate where her resolve--and her heart--will be tested as never before.


My thoughts: I know it had some pretty mixed reviews, but I personally loved All These Things I've Done (here's my review). Zevin has such a unique writing style. And as much as I loved the simple chocolate heart on the original cover, this new stylish design is pretty cool. Here's the matching paperback copy of All These Things. Definitely eager to see where this series goes!

Recommend{2}Me: Audiobooks

Calling all audiobook junkies!! I need your recommendations! I have a few Audible credits built up and I want to hear what you think I should use them on. What I'm looking for is something in the YA or MG genre. So...tell me! What is the best audiobook you've listened to lately?? Or one that you very highly recommend?

In My Mailbox {109}

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren,
where we all share what we got during the week.

Just one new lovely book in my mailbox this week. One of my favorite authors, Michelle Zink, had a new release come out, so it was definitely a must-buy!

Bought:

A Temptation of Angels by Michelle Zink
Her Prophecy of the Sisters trilogy is definitely a favorite of mine, so I can't wait to see what this new series brings!