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Saturday, October 9, 2010

In my Mailbox: October 10th 2010

  In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren and inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie.

**WON!!!!**
FirelightFIRELIGHT BY SOPHIE JORDAN

Publisher: HarperCollins; 1 edition (September 7, 2010)

 Descended from dragons, the draki's ability to appear human protects them from hunters. Jacinda lives with her pride in the Cascades, but she chafes under her special status as the only fire-breather in hundreds of years. Recklessly breaking the “no-fly” rule, she attracts hunters; mercifully, one hunter, a beautiful boy who looks upon her with wonder, lets her escape. After this, the pride intends to hobble her rebelliousness, and Jacinda is forced to flee. But while twin sister Tamra, who never manifested and was shunned, is happy with the move, Jacinda feels only anguish within Nevada's desert climate. Then she meets Will and, despite recognizing him as the same draki hunter, feels herself come alive. Jordan's compelling addition to the supernatural star-crossed lovers theme is equal parts taut suspense and sensuous romance, with visceral writing and believable relationships among characters, particularly among Jacinda's family. A foreshadowed twist and a thrilling confrontation in the end pages leave Jacinda heartbroken and in trouble, and readers will howl for more.
**REVIEW** 

The Secret of KaTHE SECRET OF KA BY CHRISTOPHER PIKE
Harcourt Children's Books; 1 edition (September 13, 2010)

One minute Sara's bored on vacation in Istanbul. The next, she's unearthed a flying carpet that cleverly drags her to the mysterious Island of the Djinn—or genies. By her side is Amesh, a cute guy she has a crush on but doesn't yet trust. When Amesh learns the secret of invoking djinn, he loses control. He swears he'll call upon only one djinn and make one wish. The plan sounds safe enough. But neither Sara nor Amesh are any match for the monster that that swells before them. It hypnotizes Amesh, compelling him to steal Sara’s flying carpet and leave her stranded on the island.
Discovering the carpet has sparked a new path for Sara, one that will lead her to battle creatures even deadlier than djinn. In this fight, Sara can save mankind, herself, or the boy she cares for. Who will she be forced to sacrifice?

Tyger Tyger: A Goblin Wars BookTYGER TYGER BY KERSTEN HAMILTON  
Clarion Books (November 15, 2010)

Teagan Wylltson's best friend, Abby, dreams that horrifying creatures--goblins, shape-shifters, and beings of unearthly beauty but terrible cruelty--are hunting Teagan. Abby is always coming up with crazy stuff, though, so Teagan isn't worried. Her life isn't in danger. In fact, it's perfect. She's on track for a college scholarship. She has a great job. She's focused on school, work, and her future. No boys, no heartaches, no problems.

     Until Finn Mac Cumhaill arrives. Finn's a bit on the unearthly beautiful side himself. He has a killer accent and a knee-weakening smile. And either he's crazy or he's been haunting Abby's dreams, because he's talking about goblins, too . . . and about being The Mac Cumhaill, born to fight all goblin-kind. Finn knows a thing or two about fighting. Which is a very good thing, because this time, Abby's right. The goblins are coming.
Bleeding VioletBLEEDING VIOLET BY DIA REEVES 
Simon Pulse; 1 edition (January 5, 2010)
After her father’s death, 16-year-old Hanna hitchhikes to Portero, Texas, the home of her mother, Rosalee, who abandoned her. Hanna is desperate for Rosalee to love and accept her, and Rosalee reluctantly makes a bargain: Hanna has two weeks to make friends and fit in at her school or she won't be allowed to stay. Hanna has never fit in anywhere, though. Struggling with manic depression, she hears voices and hallucinates, wears only purple dresses, and has a history of violence. Portero is no ordinary town, though, and Hanna learns that it is haunted by doors to other dimensions and plagued by dangerous creatures from those realms. Wyatt, a powerful young initiate in the Mortmaine, a demon-hunting organization, recruits Hanna, and together they struggle to deal with an ancient evil that threatens the town and Hanna’s future. With plenty of sex and violence, this is a book for mature teens, who will find Portero to be an intriguing world and biracial Hanna a startlingly unusual heroine with a poignant, memorable voice.

Ascendant ASCENDANT BY DIANA PETERFREUND
 September 28th 2010 by HarperTeen
 Now a fully trained unicorn hunter, Astrid Llewelyn is learning that she can’t solve all her problems with a bow and arrow. Her boyfriend has left Rome, the Cloisters is in dire financial straits, her best friend’s powers are mysteriously disintegrating, and her hope of becoming a scientist seems to be nothing but an impossible dream.

So when she’s given the opportunity to leave the Cloisters and use her skills as part of a scientific quest to discover the Remedy, Astrid leaps at the chance. Finally, she can have exactly what she wants—or can she? At Gordian headquarters deep in France, Astrid begins to question everything she had believed: her love for Giovanni, her loyalty to the Cloisters, and—most of all—her duty as a hunter. Should Astrid be saving the world from killer unicorns or saving unicorns from the world?
(I haven't read the first book so I need to get that one--has anybody read it? What do you think?

The Carrie DiariesTHE CARRIE DIARIES BY CANDACE BUSHNELL
April 27th 2010 by Balzer + Bray (first published April 23rd 2010)  

Before Carrie Bradshaw hit the big time in the City, she was a regular girl growing up in the suburbs of Connecticut. How did she turn into one of the most-read social observers of our generation?

The Carrie Diaries opens up in Carrie's senior year of high school. She and her best friends -- Walt, Lali, Maggie, and the Mouse -- are inseparable, amid the sea of Jens, Jocks and Jets. And then Sebastian Kydd comes into the picture. Sebastian is a bad boy-older, intriguing, and unpredictable. Carrie falls into the relationship that she was always supposed to have in high school-until a friend's betrayal makes her question everything. With her high school days coming to a close, Carrie will realize it's finally time to go after everything she ever wanted.

Rabid fans of Sex and the City will love seeing Carrie Bradshaw evolve from a regular girl into a sharp, insightful writer. They'll learn about her family background -- how she found her writing voice, and the indelible impression her early friendships and relationships left on her. We'll see what brings Carrie to her beloved New York City, where the next Carrie Diaries book will take place.
 

(So far I've read Bleeding Violet and I just don't know what to think of that one--bizarre, bloody and insane are words that come to mind! Anybody else read that?)

What's in your mailbox?

19 comments:

Bere said...

Ooooh, how great! You got some really wicked awesome books, Kim! I can't wait to read Firelight. And I've heard fantastic things on Tyger, Tyger! I haven't started reading the Killer Unicorns series but I'm really looking forward to. I hope you enjoy all of these. I will be looking forward to your reviews. Happy weekend! =)

Misha said...

Fantastic books! I have read some many mixed reviews about Bleeding Violet which put me off buying it.Tyger Tyger seems really good.
Here's what I got In My Mailbox

Jessica @ a GREAT read said...

Wow! Great books. My post will be up tomorrow morning!

http://jessica-agreatread.blogspot.com

Christina / Book Addict said...

I really want to read Firelight. I hear it's awesome. I look forward to your review and Carrie Diaries was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed that one!

Holly said...

The Carrie Diaries was pretty good, if you like S+TC you'll probably like it a whole lot more though :)

kirsty at the overflowing library said...

fab books

brandileigh2003 said...

Great reading! My IMMB is here My Readathon wrap up is here
Have a great weekend!

Brittany said...

These all look fantastic. Happy Reading!

Fi-chan said...

Nice books! Firelight!! I kind of want to read The Carrie Diaries but I haven't read Sex and the City, and I think I want the book because of the cover. Oh well..

Here's my In My Mailbox! :D

Kathy Martin said...

What a great mailbox. I enjoyed Firelight and Tyger, Tyger. I haven't read Bleeding Violet because I thought it sounded strange. I have it in my school media center though. My mailboxes are here and here. Happy reading!

Schultzies said...

That's a lot of books! Firelight looks awesome, congrats on winning it.

the story siren said...

great books this week. have not read bleeding violet, but have heard great things about it. hope you enjoy all of your books! happy reading!

Kelly said...

Fantastic books this week! Firelight sounds really good. Ascendant is also on my wishlist. Enjoy!

Fiction Spark said...

oooh I'm jealous, I craving for those books. Specially The Secret of KA, I was so drawn to the gorgeous cover. Anyway great books you got. Have fun reading them.

You can check out my IMM here

Belinda said...

Oh I love some of the books you got this week and it looks like you have some fun reading ahead. Take care!

Come by and see my experimental IMMB

Alison Can Read said...

All great books! I'm especially interested in Firelight and Tyger Tyger.
My IMM

Tara said...

Firelight is super good! I won Ascendant on Goodreads a few weeks ago, so I picked up a copy of Rampant and I'm really liking it so far. Hope you enjoy your new books!

Here's what I got in my mailbox this week :)

kay - Infinite Shelf said...

What a great selection! I received Firelight and Ascendant recently, too, and I can't wait to read them!

Unknown said...

I really enjoyed the Carrie Diaries. It is even a book I put on my to Re-Read shelf. :)

I hope you enjoy it as well.

Mad Scientist
madsteampunkery.blogspot.com