In My Mailbox 36

Welcome to another edition of In My Mailbox. IMM is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi of The Story Siren in which bloggers get the chance to share with their readers the books that have recently come into their possession. I really love this meme and I look forward to seeing all my favourite blogger's books each week. Thank you to Kristi for hosting something is such fun!

Here are the books that I acquired this week...



Nevermore by Kelly Creagh - Cheerleader Isobel Lanley is horrified when she is paired with Varen Nethers for an English project, which is due—so unfair—on the day of the rival game. Cold and aloof, sardonic and sharp-tongued, Varen makes it clear he’d rather not have anything to do with her either. But when Isobel discovers strange writing in his journal, she can’t help but give this enigmatic boy with the piercing eyes another look.

Soon, Isobel finds herself making excuses to be with Varen. Steadily pulled away from her friends and her possessive boyfriend, Isobel ventures deeper and deeper into the dream world Varen has created through the pages of his notebook, a realm where the terrifying stories of Edgar Allan Poe come to life.

As her world begins to unravel around her, Isobel discovers that dreams, like words, hold more power than she ever imagined, and that the most frightening realities are those of the mind. Now she must find a way to reach Varen before he is consumed by the shadows of his own nightmares.


Earlier this year, during my Love Month, another blogger (Dwayne from Girls Without A Bookshelf) listed Nevermore in her top couples or best romantic hero (I'm not entirely sure, sorry Dwayne!) and it's been stuck in my head this entire time, so I thought I should definitely give it a chance. It's a pretty chunky looking book though...

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Bloodlines by Richelle Mead - When alchemist Sydney is ordered into hiding to protect the life of Moroi princess Jill Dragomir, the last place she expects to be sent is a human private school in Palm Springs, California. But at their new school, the drama is only just beginning.

Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, Bloodlines explores all the friendship, romance, battles and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive - this time in a part-vampire, part-human setting where the stakes are even higher and everyone's out for blood.

Everyone has pretty excited about the new series by Richelle Mead! Even I am. I am currently halfway through the Vampire Academy books with the fourth book (hopefully!) on its way to me at the moment. It's been awhile since I've been as addicted to a series as I have been with Vampire Academy, so I have high hopes for this new series.

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Vampire Academy graphic novel by Richelle Mead - After two years on the run, best friends Rose and Lissa are caught and returned to St. Vladimir's Academy, a private high school for vampires and half-bloods. It's filled with intrigue, danger - and even romance. Enter their dark, fascinating world through a new series of 144-page full-color graphic novels. The entire first Vampire Academy novel has been adapted for book one by Leigh Dragoon and overseen by Richelle Mead, while the beautiful art of acclaimed British illustrator Emma Vieceli brings the story to life.

This and Bloodlines arrived awhile back and I've already read and reviewed this one. Reading the graphic novel was a great stepping stone into reading this first book in the series and it just sort of snowballed from there. I love the illustrations for this graphic novel!

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Sister, Missing by Sophie McKenzie - It's two years after the events of Girl, Missing and life is not getting any easier for sixteen-year-old Lauren, as exam pressure and a recent family tragedy take their toll. Lauren's birth mother takes Lauren and her two sisters on holiday in the hope that some time together will help, but a few days into the holiday one of the sisters disappears, under circumstances very similar to those in which Lauren was taken years before. Can Lauren save her sister, and stop the nightmare happening all over again?

I was talking on Twitter the other day to another blogger about how I'd just finished reading Girl, Missing by Sophie McKenzie and how much I was looking forward to reading the sequel. Lovely Phil Earle over-read this conversation and offered to send an ARC of it! How wonderful is he?! Thanks Phil!

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Dust and Decay by Jonathan Maberry - Six months have passed since the terrifying battle with Charlie Pink-eye and the Motor City Hammer in the zombie-infested mountains of the Rot & Ruin. It's also six months since Benny Imura and Nix Riley saw something in the air that changed their lives. Now, after months of rigorous training with Benny's zombie-hunter brother Tom, Benny and Nix are ready to leave their home forever and search for a better future. Lilah the Lost Girl and Benny's best friend Lou Chong are going with them.

Sounds easy. Sounds wonderful. Except that everything that can go wrong does. Before they can even leave there is a shocking zombie attack in town. But as soon as they step into the Rot & Ruin they are pursued by the living dead, wild animals, insane murderers and the horrors of Gameland –where teenagers are forced to fight for their lives in the zombie pits. Worst of all…could the evil Charlie Pink-eye still be alive?

In the great Rot & Ruin everything wants to kill you. Everything…and not everyone in Benny's small band of travelers will make it out alive.

There was a lovely big parcel filled with Simon and Schuster goodies from Phil, including this one. Funnily enough, I had seen the first book in the series, Rot and Ruin in my local library and very nearly picked it up. Now that I have the sequel, I shall go back for it!

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A Beautiful Evil by Kelly Keaton - When Ari first arrived in the dilapidated city of New 2, all she wanted was to figure out who she was. But what she discovered was beyond her worst nightmare. Ari can already sense the evil growing inside her—a power the goddess Athena will stop at nothing to possess.

Desperate to hold on to her humanity and protect her loved ones, Ari must fight back. But Athena’s playing mind games, not just with Ari but with those she cares about most. And Athena has a very special plan for the brooding and sexy Sebastian.

Ari is determined to defeat Athena, but time is running out. With no other options, Ari must unleash the very thing she’s afraid of: herself.

Earlier in the year, I read Darkness Becomes Her and was utterly surprised by it. I was very much excited to recieve this proof copy of the sequel, not due for publication until next year! Wow.

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Prized by Caragh O'Brien - Striking out into the wasteland with nothing but her baby sister, a handful of supplies, and a rumor to guide her, sixteen-year-old midwife Gaia Stone survives only to be captured by the people of Sylum, a dystopian society where women rule the men who drastically outnumber them, and a kiss is a crime. In order to see her sister again, Gaia must submit to their strict social code, but how can she deny her sense of justice, her curiosity, and everything in her heart that makes her whole?


And again, I'm so thrilled with this one. It was very recently that I read the first book in the series by Caragh O'Brien, and here is the sequel! Very cool. I really like the covers of these books and I can't wait to get stuck in.

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The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith - Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?

Imagine if she hadn't fogotten the book. Or if there hadn't been traffic on the expressway. Or if she hadn't fumbled the coins for the toll. What if she'd run just that little bit faster and caught the flight she was supposed to be on. Would it have been something else - the weather over the atlantic or a fault with the plane?

Hadley isn't sure if she believes in destiny or fate but, on what is potentially the worst day of each of their lives, it's the quirks of timing and chance events that mean Hadley meets Oliver...

Set over a 24-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver's story will make you believe that true love finds you when you're least expecting it.

Here was a lovely surprise! This book came gift-wrapped a long with a heart-shaped calculator, a badge and a lolly. The book isn't due out until next year but it looks utterly sweet and I'm looking forward to reading it.

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Flip by Martyn Bedford - Ever wake up in someone else's body? Fourteen-year-old Alex Gray wakes up one morning to discover he's not in his own bedroom. More surprising is that he doesn't recognize his hands, or his legs...When he looks in the mirror he gets the shock of his life! How is it possible that Alex has become another boy - a boy who everyone calls Philip? And how have six whole months passed overnight? This is a riveting psychological thriller by a brilliant new voice in children's books.

Did you guys all love the Debut Summer feature over at Mostly Reading YA? I did. I even won one of the giveaways, and this arrived for me this week. I'm really curious to read it!

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Crank by Ellen Hopkins - Kristina Georgia Snow is the perfect daughter: gifted high school junior, quiet, never any trouble. But on a trip to visit her absentee father, Kristina disappears and Bree takes her place. Bree is the exact opposite of Kristina -- she's fearless.

Through a boy, Bree meets the monster: crank. And what begins as a wild, ecstatic ride turns into a struggle through hell for her mind, her soul -- her life.

You all know (maybe?) that I often use a book swapping website, ReadItSwapIt, and there are lots and lots of gems to discover there and this week I managed to swap for four fantastic books. Crank is a book that's been on my wishlist for absolutely ages. I'm determined to read all of Ellen Hopkins' books eventually.

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Shug by Jenny Han - Annemarie Wilcox, or Shug as her family calls her, is beginning to think there's nothing worse than being twelve. She's too tall, too freckled, and way too flat-chested. Shug is sure that there's not one good or amazing thing about her. And now she has to start junior high, where the friends she counts most dear aren't acting so dear anymore -- especially Mark...

Earlier in the year I read and absolutely adored Jenny Han's The Summer I Turned Pretty and It's Not Summer Without You. I figured while I'm waiting for the UK publication of We'll Always Have Summer, I should her other book, Shug. It looks like it's aimed at a younger audience but could be a really sweet story!

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The Lost Saint by Bree Despain - A family destroyed. A love threatened. An enemy returns.

Grace Divine made the ultimate sacrifice to cure Daniel Kalbi. She was infected with the werewolf curse while trying to save him, and lost her beloved brother in the process.

Desperate to find Jude, Grace befriends Talbot, a newcomer to town. But as the two grow closer, Grace's relationship with Daniel is put in danger - in more ways than one.

Unaware of the dark path she is walking, Grace begins to give into the wolf inside of her - not realizing that an enemy has returned and a deadly trap is about to be sprung.

Bree Despain delivers sizzling romance and thrilling action in the heart-pounding sequel to the The Dark Divine.

Have I mentioned yet that all of my reviews in October will be about paranormal YA? I'm already gearing up to share lots of great books with you, including a review of The Dark Divine which I enjoyed so much I really wanted to read the sequel. Which I now have, YAY!

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There Is No Dog by Meg Rosoff - Meet your unforgettable protagonist: God, who, as it turns out, is a 19-year-old boy living in the present-day and sharing an apartment with his long-suffering fifty-something personal assistant. Unfortunately for the planet, God is lazy and, frankly, hopeless. He created all of the world's species in six days because he couldn't summon the energy to work for longer. He gets Africa and America mixed up. And his beleagured assistant has his work cut out for him when God creates a near-apolcalyptic flood, having fallen asleep without turning the bath off. There is No Dog is a darkly funny novel from one of our most delightfully unpredictable writers.

I'm a huge fan of Meg Rosoff, and have been dying to read this book since I heard her speak about it earlier in the year. I hope it's as quirky and funny as I've been led to believe!

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Liesl and Po by Lauren Oliver - We meet Liesl the night after the day her young father has died. That same day she is visited by a ghost, Po, an eight year old boy who lives on the other side, the territory between life and death that runs parallel to the living world. Po has come to tell her that her father is stuck on the other side, and that she is the only one who can help him cross over. A couple of wooden boxes. Some ashes. Some magic dust. A ghost, its pet, and a boy who forgot to wear a hat in the cold. From these seemingly odd, random characters Oliver weaves the enchanting story of how, with the aid of Liesl, these elements come together over the course of one week to restore love and luster to a world gone grey and heartless.

And finally we have this gorgeous book. The lovely ladies have already sent over a proof copy of Liesl and Po, with some illustrations, but I was dying to know what the finished book would look like. It's absolutely beautiful. Really well put together. I'm halfway through this very sweet story...

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Thank you to everyone who sent me books this week (and over the last few weeks!) I really appreciate it. Which books have you picked up lately?