In My Mailbox 4-27-2013

 There's been a lot of awesome books out recently. Most of these did not come in my mailbox.
1. ARCs! Icons, which I'm currently reading. Natural Born Angel, sequel to Immortal City, which I haven't read yet still.
2. Rise, which I bought at B&N and the Elite I got at Super Walmart.
3. Infactuate, sequel to Illuminate, which I still haven't read.
4. Arclight I got from B&N. I LOVE THE RAINBOWY COVER!!! Unbreakable, sequel to Unvraveling, I ordered of B&N.com
5. Chosen at Nightfall and the Eternity Cure. I'm gonna have to do a series catch-up on both of these.
6. Library books! Stug. I love the  cover too! Sacrifices, the 3rd Shadow Grail book and the Stone Demon the 3rd Iron Witch book.
~Haley G

With All My Soul by Rachel Vincent

Series: Soul Screamer (bk. 7)

Genera: Paranormal

Subjects: Supernatural, banshees, reapers, death, afterlife, souls, love,

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 377 pgs.

HC/PB: Paperback

List Price: $9.99

Publisher: HarlequinTeen

Summary/ product description: “What does it mean when your school is voted the most dangerous in America? It's time to kick some hellion butt...
After not really surviving her junior year (does "undead" count as survival?), Kaylee Cavanaugh has vowed to take back her school from the hellions causing all the trouble. She's going to find a way to turn the incarnations of Avarice, Envy and Vanity against one another in order to protect her friends and finish this war, once and forever.
But then she meets Wrath and understands that she's closer to the edge than she's ever been. And when one more person close to her is taken, Kaylee realizes she can't save everyone she loves without risking everything she has....

My Rating: êêêêê

My Review: How do you review the final book in a series? All I can say is that this is an awesome, action-packed, and well-written finale. It’s unbelievable that this series is over. Seven books. I love this series so much and I’ll miss all the characters, especially Tod. I still have to read the novellas and short stories, but the books are done. Unless the author decides to write a spinoff series in which the main character is a different paraonormal being, maybe a female Reaper, or Siren, or maybe an incubus. This was the longest book in the series and had so much packed into it. It took me a week to read because I was savoring it. This isn’t the type of book you want to read in one sitting. I wanted to drag it out slowly because one’s it’s done, it’s done and it’s not like you can re-read it and still be surprised what happens. The ending was happy, but I was surprised by it. I wasn’t sure how thing would turn out after what Kaylee did, but they turned out good.

So, here’s what I can say without being spoilery. At the end of the previous book, Kaylee put Emma’s soul into Lydia’s body. Poor Emma! To see her own funeral, and to feel others emotions because Lydia was a Syphon, that really sucks. But it did make for an interesting conflict. There were a lot of side-conflicts in this book. The main one it Avari trying to get Kaylee to surrender her soul, but there’s others. Like Emma’s sister being pregnant with an incubus. Kaylee meets the hellion of wrath, and help her for a taste of her anger. Lots of crazy stuff, and it makes the story interesting.

And the swoony romance of Kaylee and Tod. Tod is the most hilarious fictional boyfriend ever. He’s a reaper and he have a great sense of humor. He acts like he’s narcissistic, and has a big ego, but that’s all humor. He love Kaylee more than anything, and that matter more than anything. I loved what he said about Hellions not being proper villains. That’s on page 293-294. And there’s a part when he says that he hopes Nash has those grandkids and old man gut someday, wishing him a life of good sex and food. Funniest thing ever. And he says some very swoon worthy things too. I want Tod so bad! Despite him having a name like Tod, he sound awesome. Tod and Kaylee should have been together since book 2, not just the middle of book 5.

So how does everyone else feel about the ending? I looked at the other reviews. So many great series ending this year. It does feel like torture. But it’s still better that being tortured in the Netherworld. Tortured by finale books? I’ll take that kind any day over hellions.

Cover Art Review: Such a pretty golden dress. Wish there was something more paranormal looking, but I love the title typeface.

 

~Haley G

Override by Heather Anastasiu

Series: Glitch (bk. 2)

Genera: Dystopian Sci-fi

Subjects: Technology, psychic ability, telekinesis, visions

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 310 pgs.

HC/PB: Paperback

List Price: $9.99

Publisher: Macmillan: St. Martin’s Griffin

Summary/ product description: Zoe is free. She has escaped the enslavement of the Community, disconnected from the hardware that had controlled her every thought and emotion, and evaded capture by the Chancellor intent on killing her. She is finally free, but she is far from safe.
Zoe and Adrien hide themselves from detection at the Foundation, an academy that trains teen glitchers to fight in the Resistance movement. Together, Zoe and her new team of superhuman fighters must risk their lives to rescue other glitchers and humans from the Chancellor's control. Challenges abound at every turn, and Adrien, who has become silent, distant, and tormented by his visions of the future, only adds to the growing certainty of defeat. But worst of all, as Zoe's team fights against impossible odds, distrust and betrayal leads to the terrible discovery that their greatest threat could already be lurking behind the safe walls of the Foundation.
Full of high-adrenaline action and shocking twists, Heather Anastasiu's Override is an exciting continuation of this popular young adult trilogy”

My Rating: êêêêê

My Review: As far as sequels go, this was like 5 times better than the first book. This was like Shatter Me and Under the Never Sky and X-men. The 1^st book didn’t get good till the second half and I was afraid that this book would be slow too. Thankfully it takes less time to get going, and it didn’t stop.

There was this school/facility that Adrien and Zoe go to. Student who are Glitchers are training to help fight in the Rez. As well as some ex- Regulators. I loved all the new characters!!!!!! All the Glitches with different powers. I was X-men like, and similar to Shatter Me, except they got their abilities from a hardware glitch. So many cool powers. I like City’s. She has electric powers, not lightning like Storm, just electrical shock. A human Taser! Other character can do things like heat stuff up, or know where people are. I also loved how Zoe’s power developed. It expanded as she practiced. It became like remote viewing, where she could feel stuff and see stuff with her telekinesis. It’s really cool. She’s like Jean Green.

I love Adrien!! Why was there even a love triangle in the first book? I wouldn’t want a guy like Max who can turn himself into other people (Except Lend from Paranormalcy). Adrien can see the future. Which kind of stresses him out in parts. I love how good he is to Zoe. I ship them.

There were a few shocking twists and surprises that were upsetting to Zoe. And that ending. HOW COULD YOU DO THAT??!!! Hope the 3^rd and final book fixes that ending.

I recommend this series if you like X-men, Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi, Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi, Possession by Elana Johnson, or Divergent by Veronica Roth.

Cover Art Review: Love the colors and the title. Just as good as the 1^st cover. They’re keeping the cover similar.

 

~Haley G

Death, Doom and Detention by Darynda Jones

Series: Darklight (bk. 2)

Genera: Paranormal Romance

Subjects: Angels, visions, prophets, psychic ability, nephilim, supernatural, New Mexico

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 296 pgs.

HC/PB: Paperback

List Price: $9.99

Publisher: Macmillan: St. Martin’s Griffin

Summary/ product description: “The normal part of Lorelei MacAlister’s life didn’t just slip away quietly the day Jared Kovach came to town. Nope. The normal part of her life shattered. It exploded. It burst into a gazillion shards of fleeting light.
It went out with a bang.
Goodbye normal.
Hello dark and eerie.
While her best friend, Brooklyn, is focusing all of her energy on helping Lorelei hone her abilities, Lorelei is dealing with the reality that Satan’s second in command has taken up residence inside her body. Oh, and the fact that she has a crush on the Angel of Death. But what a beautiful death it is. If those weren’t bad enough, something sinister has come to town and it wants nothing more than to hear Lorelei’s dying breath as it strangles it out of her. Thank goodness the gang has a supernatural champion. But what happens when the only being who can save them switches sides midstream? How can a group of misfits capture one of the most powerful beings ever created? And will they find out how to bring Jared back to them before it’s too late?”

My Rating: êêêêê

My Review: I love this series. It was so under the radar and had deceptive looking covers. This sequel is just as good as the first book. I love the characters so much. As I said in my review of Death and the Girl Next Door, I love the dialogue and relationships between the characters. Lorelei, Brooke and Glitch have the most hilarious, sarcasm filled conversations ever. Banter and teasing and all kinds of fun. I wish I had friends like them. They’re so loyal and amazing. And Lorelei’s inner monologue is funny too. 

Jared reminds me a lot of Patch from Hush, Hush. He’s also an archangel, not really fallen, but just the angel of Death, Azrial here on Earth.  He’s dark and protective, but mostly good. He turns bad for a little while in the book, but thankfully doesn’t stay that way. He’s very hot too. Cameron, who like Brooke, and is not in a love triangle with Lorelei and Jared, but rather in one with Brooke and Glitch, is also a great character. He’s another really hot, tall guy who just so happens to be a nephilim. It you read the 1^st book, you know all this, but I really just want to say how much I like them both. Brooklyn is the best friend. She’s half African American, half Caucasian. She says the funniest stuff. She made this book awesome. Glitch is a bit nerdy and hates Cameron. Lots of high school drama in this series. Lots of great characters you can really care about. There’re deep and not at all boring. Never a dull moment.

This book’s plot is based around the arrival of nephilim descendants that are out to kill Lorelei before she can fulfill the prophecy as the last prophet of Arabeth. Students start acting really violent after they show up. Lots of crazy stuff starts happening to students and Lorelei. And to Jared. Lorelei also learns a new depth to her visions. A new way to see thing. I agree with Brooke. Her new power is very cool.

This series is not at all cliché. I mean, beside the high school drama stuff, it’s very unique and I hope the uniqueness continues. I love angel books so much. And this one’s in New Mexico! I recommend this series to those who enjoyed any of the following Angel-related series: Unearthly by Cynthia Hand, Hush, Hush by Becca FitzPatrick, Fallen by Lauren Kate, Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton, A beautiful Dark by Jocelyn Davies.

Also other series that this book has similarities too: Vampire Diaries (Jared reminds me of Damon.), House of Night (Because the friendship, and school stuff).

Cover Art Review: I hate these covers so much!!! So boring. These books need good covers with a hot angel of death on them. And that red head is the same girl on the cover of A Want So Wicked by Suzanne Young.

 

~Haley G

Indigo Awakening by Jordan Dane

Series: The Hunted (bk. 1)

Genera: Paranormal Romance/sci-fi

Subjects: Psychic ability, supernatural, missing persons, California, Los Angelus

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 286 pgs.

HC/PB: Paperback

List Price: $9.99

Publisher: HarlequinTeen

Summary/ product description: “Because of what you are, the Believers will hunt you down.
Voices told Lucas Darby to run. Voices no one else can hear. He’s warned his sister not to look for him, but Rayne refuses to let her troubled brother vanish on the streets of LA. In her desperate search, she meets Gabriel Stewart, a runaway with mysterious powers and far too many secrets. Rayne can’t explain her crazy need to trust the strange yet compelling boy—to touch him—to protect him even though he scares her.
A fanatical church secretly hunts psychic kids—gifted “Indigo” teens feared to be the next evolution of mankind—for reasons only “the Believers” know. Now Rayne’s only hope is Gabe, who is haunted by an awakening power—a force darker than either of them imagine—that could doom them all.”

My Rating: êê

My Review: This book had such a good premise that I was let down so much. I really wanted to like it. The concept of these psychic, “Indigo” children was very interesting. The author based it of real conspiracies. But most of the characters I didn’t really care for. I liked Rayne and kind of wish this book was 1^st person or 3^rd person limited from her perspective. I hate head jumping 3^rd person omniscient. It make the story kind of boring to me. There’s less mystery. No twist, turn or plot that keeps you guessing. I liked the character dialogue in parts. Rayne and Gabriel’s conversations, and Rayne is snarky. There’s also the possibly that it was the typography adding to my boredom. If my eyes hurt too much, I just start skimming instead of reading.

Out of the 3 books I read by Jordan Dane, On a Dark Wings is my favorite because of its Alaska setting. This book is set in L.A. Sure, Hollywood is cool in all, but I prefer setting with natural beauty. Reading books set in big cities like New York or L.A. (Unless it’s Chicago) don’t appeal to me as much. Not unless they’re dystopian. THIS BOOK IS NOT DYSTOPIAN!!!!

As for the paranormal stuff, I wasn’t sure what was going on. There was Hellboy the ghost dog. There were telepathic conversation and some other things. Gabriel had vision in his dreams and a connection to the other Indigos. I was hoping for it to be more X-men-ish. Very disappointed. Not sure who’d I recommend it too. Maybe if you like books about psychic kids and don’t mind 3^rd person omniscient.

Cover Art Review: I really like this cover. The title looks amazing. Love the treatment on it. The digitally painted wolf/dog (a ghost dog named Hellboy) is pretty cool too. And the colors. Indigo, blue and red.

 

~Haley G

Doomed by Tracy Deebs

Genera: Sci-fi Thriller

Subjects: computer games, technology, hackers, cyber-terrorism, Austin, Texas

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 470 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $17.99

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Summary/ product description: “Pandora’s just your average teen, glued to her cell phone and laptop, surfing Facebook and e-mailing with her friends, until the day her long-lost father sends her a link to a mysterious site featuring twelve photos of her as a child. Unable to contain her curiosity, Pandora enters the site, where she is prompted to play her favorite virtual-reality game, Zero Day. This unleashes a global computer virus that plunges the whole world into panic: suddenly, there is no Internet. No cell phones. No utilities, traffic lights, hospitals, law enforcement. Pandora teams up with handsome stepbrothers Eli and Theo to enter the virtual world of Zero Day. Simultaneously, she continues to follow the photographs from her childhood in an attempt to beat the game and track down her father, her one key to saving the world as we know it. Part The Matrix, part retelling of the Pandora myth, Doomed has something for gaming fans, dystopian fans, and romance fans alike.”

My Rating: êêê

My Review: Reading a long, heavy book can really affect the experience. I loved Tracy Deebs’ mermaid books, and was hoping that this dystopia-like thriller would be just as good. It definitely was not what I expected. There was no virtual reality. It was just a computer game. And the game was really all about saving the world from climate change. Pandora is definitely a madman’s daughter.

My favorite thing about this book was the adventurous thrill ride. Theo must have hotwired like 6 different cars along the way. Also I could decide who I liked better, Eli or Theo. Eli I liked at 1^st, but Theo really showed how much he cared about helping Pandora. They both went along with this cross-country scavenger hunt that was also connected to beating the Pandora’s Box game. They started out in Austin, Texas, and went to New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, and Wyoming. Pandora had to remember the times she spent with her father to find out where to go.

A big part of the Pandora’s Box game was mythology. The creatures and being fought in the game were things like Cyclopes and giants and even gods and titans. The story itself is a retelling of the Pandora’s Box myth. And it was constructed that was by her father.

The issues I had with this book was the over-the-top reactions at the beginning and some of the inaccuracies related to survival and technological stuff. The author may have done her research for the most part, but not everything it correct. (For example: Pandora asks Theo when’s the last time he got a Tetanus shot after he’s bitten by a dog because she’s afraid it may be rabid. Rabies shots are what she should have said. Tetanus is for bacteria found on rust.)

The book was enjoyable for the most part, with some small issues. I recommend it to people who enjoyed Don’t Turn Around by Michelle Gagnon.  This book is pretty unique, so I can’t think of other specific book similar to it.

Cover Art Review: Don’t like this cover other than the colors. I hate the use of a bevel emboss on the title when it’s in really embossed. It looks poorly designed. I liked the original green cover with the girl and 2 guys on it.

 

~Haley G

Unremembered by Jessica Brody

Series: Unremembered (bk. 1)

Genera: Sci-fi Romance

Subjects: Memory, amnesia, genetic engineering, experiments, science

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 304 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $17.99

Publisher: Macmillan: FSG

REAL TAGLINE: “The only thing worse than forgetting her past…is remembering it.”

Summary/ product description: “When Freedom Airlines flight 121 went down over the Pacific Ocean, no one ever expected to find survivors. Which is why the sixteen-year-old girl discovered floating among the wreckage—alive—is making headlines across the globe.
Even more strange is that her body is miraculously unharmed and she has no memories of boarding the plane. She has no memories of her life before the crash. She has no memories period. No one knows how she survived. No one knows why she wasn’t on the passenger manifest. And no one can explain why her DNA and fingerprints can’t be found in a single database in the world.
Crippled by a world she doesn’t know, plagued by abilities she doesn’t understand, and haunted by a looming threat she can’t remember, Seraphina struggles to piece together her forgotten past and discover who she really is. But with every clue only comes more questions. And she’s running out of time to answer them.
Her only hope is a strangely alluring boy who claims to know her from before the crash. Who claims they were in love. But can she really trust him? And will he be able to protect her from the people who have been making her forget?
From popular young adult author Jessica Brody comes a compelling and suspenseful new sci-fi series, set in a world where science knows no boundaries, memories are manipulated, and true love can never be forgotten.”

My Rating: êêêêê

My Review: Loved this book so much. I haven’t read any other books by this author, because as her other books are realistic fiction, but she did an awesome job creating a unique sci-fi mystery. Seraphina has one of the most unique cases of amnesia that I read about. She not only forgot her past, but also what certain things are, like cars and computers and guns. She’s also really good at math.

They can’t find anyone who knows her, so they put her with a foster family and she meets Cody, her foster brother. Cody’s really funny and it’s hilarious how he has to explain certain things to Sera. He’s got a little crush on her too. It’s so cute. He calls her the Amnesiac Supermodel. Sera asks him for favors and he get in trouble. Really, this book has some fun adventures in it and some not so fun. And there’s Zen, the guy who shows up claiming that he knows her and tells her that her name is Sera. He’s swoon worthy and protective even if Sera can protect herself in ways he can’t.

This book was full of twists and turns. Some I could have guessed, others I never saw coming. I read the prequel short story called the “Memory Coder”, so I already knew some things. There’s some crazy chase scene and the issue that Sera (called Violet by the press because her eyes) is now a celebrity in a way because she was supposedly the only survivor in a plane crash. So people recognize her from the news and want to take photos of her. It’s not really spoilery to say that Sera was genetically engineered. I love read YA about genetic engineering.

This book is like: False Memory by Dan Krokos, Altered by Jennifer Rush, the Maximum Ride series (in some ways), The Deviants series by Jeff Sampson (Vesper, Havoc, Ravage) and possibly The Darkest Powers and Darkness Rising series, and throw in Hourglass by Myra McEntire. Books that have some kind of facility/scientific organization or lab compound that secretly does genetic engineering on human DNA.  Because of Sera’s math obsession, she reminded me of Amelia from Touch, the TV show on Fox.

There’s a really big twist at the end and a literal cliff-hanger (or cliff-dive). I need to know what book 2 is about now!! I know it’s Unforgotten and it’s coming out March next year, and I really hope the cover’s better.

Cover Art Review: Not a fan of the girl’s face. Her hair looks too dark to be Sera’s. I’d prefer something more sci-fi-ish. I like the title type. And the inner cover has the knot design that was mentioned.

 

~Haley G

The Nightmare Affair by Mindee Arnett

Series: Arkwell Academy (bk. 1)

Genera: Paranormal Romance

Subjects: Nightmares, supernatural, dreams, magic, murder boarding schools, magical creatures

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 367 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $17.99

Publisher: TorTeen

Summary/ product description: “Sixteen-year-old Dusty Everhart breaks into houses late at night, but not because she’s a criminal. No, she’s a Nightmare.
Literally.
Being the only Nightmare at Arkwell Academy, a boarding school for magickind, and living in the shadow of her mother’s infamy, is hard enough. But when Dusty sneaks into Eli Booker’s house, things get a whole lot more complicated. He’s hot, which means sitting on his chest and invading his dreams couldn’t get much more embarrassing. But it does. Eli is dreaming of a murder.
Then Eli’s dream comes true.
Now Dusty has to follow the clues—both within Eli’s dreams and out of them—to stop the killer before more people turn up dead. And before the killer learns what she’s up to and marks her as the next target.”

My Rating: êêêê

My Review: Even with the cliché boarding school for magical being, this book managed to be a unique, fun story. Other than in the Soul Screamers series, there really no other YA books about Nightmares. The main character is the Nightmare/mara in this book, even if she’s half normal human. Dusty is nothing like Sabine from Soul Screamer. Dusty is stubborn, and good. Her mother’s the real Nightmare. Her mother left her and her dad when she was a baby, and didn’t really show up until Dusty got her abilities. Her mother likes to bend rules, and she doesn’t have much of a relationship with Dusty.

A the beginning of the book Dusty already knows what she is and has be attending Arkwell for about a year. She’s dream-feeding on Eli and finds out that she and him together can see the future in dreams when together. I really like Eli. He seems like a great guy. His dream is to be an FBI agent. It’s not his fault he got thrown into this. Lucas, the other guy that Dusty dates, I don’t like so much. He seemed like a fake to me. I’m happy to admit that I was right, but not in a spoilery kind of way. Selene was an awesome friend to Dusty. And she’s a siren who doesn’t want sirens to be seen as sex objects. Yeah, she’s awesome.

A big part of this book was a murder mystery that Dusty was trying to solve by dream seeing. It was awesome and different. I’ve read so many murder mysteries and most characters just go for the snoop and stalk method, looking for clues and such. Dream detective? Awesome! And I never guessed who it was! There’s this whole mythology aspect of this book that has to do with the Arthurian legends. Wizards and such.

I recommend this book if you like the Hex Hall series, the Mythos Academy series, other boarding schools series, and books about dreaming like the Wake series.

Cover Art Review: Very vector based. I like the hand rendering on the title. It’s very customized. This book’s cover makes it look fun, which it kind of is. There’s a silhouette of the girl and a Phoenix in a grave yard.

 

~Haley G