Friday 22 January 2010

In My Mailbox (17)

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi of The Story Siren. Check out her awesome YA reviews.

in my mailbox books


For Review:

My Soul to Take by Rachel VincentMy Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent

She doesn't see dead people, but…
She senses when someone near her is about to die. And when that happens, a force beyond her control compels her to scream bloody murder. Literally.

Kaylee just wants to enjoy having caught the attention of the hottest guy in school. But a normal date is hard to come by when Nash seems to know more about her need to scream than she does. And when classmates start dropping dead for no apparent reason, only Kaylee knows who'll be next…
From Amazon US


One of the perks of work experience with S&S UK:

Perfect Chemistry by Simone ElkelesPerfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

When Brittany Ellis walks into chemistry class on the first day of senior year, she has no clue that her carefully created "perfect" life is about to unravel before her eyes. Forced to be lab partners with Alex Fuentes, a gang member from the other side of town, Brittany finds herself having to protect everything she's worked so hard for - her flawless reputation, her relationship with her boyfriend and, most importantly, the secret that her home life is anything but perfect. Alex is a bad boy and he knows it. So when he makes a bet with his friends to lure Brittany into his life, he thinks nothing of it. But the closer Alex and Brittany get to each other the more they realise that sometimes appearances can be deceptive and that you have to look beneath the surface to discover the truth. From Amazon UK


Fade by Lisa McMannFade by Lisa McMann - US version

SOME NIGHTMARES NEVER END.

For Janie and Cabel, real life is getting tougher than the dreams. They're just trying to carve out a little (secret) time together, but no such luck.

Disturbing things are happening at Fieldridge High, yet nobody's talking. When Janie taps into a classmate's violent nightmares, the case finally breaks open -- but nothing goes as planned. Not even close. Janie's in way over her head, and Cabe's shocking behavior has grave consequences for them both.

Worse yet, Janie learns the truth about herself and her ability -- and it's bleak. Seriously, brutally bleak. Not only is her fate as a dream catcher sealed, but what's to come is way darker than she'd feared....
From Fantastic Fiction


Skinned by Robin WassermanSkinned by Robin Wasserman

Lia Kahn is beautiful, popular and destined for success...until the horrific accident that nearly kills her. Lia wakes up in a body that is not a body. It's a machine, designed to look and feel human, and her memories have been 'downloaded'. Lia will never age. She need never feel pain again. And, as long as she is vigilant about backing up her memories, she need never die. Struggling to come to terms with what has happened, Lia tries to return to her own life. But nothing is the same...She's one of the "mechanicals" or "mechs" now. Her friends and boyfriend turn their backs on her, shutting her out. Even her own family can't seem to understand that underneath it all, she's still the same person. Or is she? Drawn to a seemingly reckless circle of "mechs", Lia starts to see the limitless options of her new "body" - after all, there isn't anything they can't do! But there are some who would like to see the new technology vanish, and these strange mechanical beings along with it. Can you really be human without a body? And is it technically murder to "kill" a machine...? In the tradition of Scott Westerfeld comes a riveting and edgy science fiction novel which raises questions of mortality, technology and morality. From Amazon UK


Shade by Jerry Smith-ReadyShade by Jerry Smith-Ready

Like everyone born after The Shift, sixteen year-old Aura can see and talk to ghosts. Persistent, and often angry, some even on the verge of becoming Shades, these violet-hued spirits are constantly talking to her, following her, and demanding her help to make amends for their untimely deaths. Aura has always found this mysterious ability annoying and wished she could find a way to reverse it. She'd much rather the ghosts left her alone so she could spend time with her boyfriend, Logan. But when Logan dies suddenly and unexpectedly, Aura is forced to reconsider her connections with the dead...and, the living. Surely a violet-hued spirit Logan is better than no Logan at all, isn't it? And things are complicated further when new exchange student, Zachary, is paired with Aura for a class project researching the 'Shift phenomenon'. Zach is so understanding - and so very alive. His support and friendship means more to Aura than she cares to admit. And, as Aura's relationships with both the dead, and the living, become more complicated, so do her feelings for both Logon and Zach. Each holds a piece of her heart...and clues to the secret of the shift. From Amazon UK


Claire de Lune by Christine JohnsonClaire de Lune by Christine Johnson

Hanover Falls hasn't had a werewolf problem in over one hundred years. But when people suddenly start dying in Claire Benoit's town, panic spreads fast. At Claire's sixteenth birthday party, the gruesome killings are all anyone can talk about. Claire, however, is more interested in the fact that the gorgeous Matthew Engle keeps chatting and flirting with her as if she's the only girl there. But that night, she discovers something that takes away all sense of normalcy: she's a werewolf. As Claire is initiated into the pack of female werewolves, she must deal not only with her changing identity, but also with a rogue werewolf who is putting everyone she knows in danger. Claire's new life threatens her blossoming romance with Matthew, whose father is leading the werewolf hunt. Now burdened with a dark secret and pushing the boundaries of forbidden love, Claire is struggling to feel comfortable in either skin. With her lupine loyalty at odds with her human heart, she will make a choice that will change her forever... From Amazon UK


Morpheus Road by D. J. MacHale - no image available yet.

#1 NYT bestselling author D.J. MacHale's Morpheus Road trilogy brings readers down an ethereal pathway between the worlds of the living and dead. From Amazon US


Gideon the Cutpurse by Linda Buckley-ArcherGideon the Cutpurse by Linda Buckley-Archer

An encounter with an anti-gravity machine catapults Peter Schock and Kate Dyer back to the 18th century and sets in motion a calamitous chain of events. While a massive police hunt gets underway to find the missing children in the 21st century - in 1763 a hardened criminal, the Tar Man, steals the anti-gravity machine and disappears into the London underworld. Stranded in another time and forced to chase the Tar Man to his lair, Peter and Kate find a friend and guide in reformed cutpurse, Gideon Seymour. Gideon does every thing he can to help them, but will his dark past catch up with him before the machine is recovered? From Amazon UK


Six Steps to a Girl by Sophie McKenzieSix Steps to a Girl by Sophie McKenzie

Luke spots Eve at his dad's funeral. She's hot - and she's the perfect distraction from his messed up family life. There's only one problem - she's got a boyfriend. Still, Luke's not going to give up that easily...When he meets Ryan at a party and hears about 'the Six Steps method' to guarantee success with any girl, Luke determines to put it to the test. Step by step, he begins to get closer to Eve - but one step forward seems to mean two steps back, and when he's hospitalised by the jealous boyfriend, he wonders if any girl - even one as gorgeous as Eve - is really worth it... From Amazon UK


The 13 Curses by Michelle HarrisonThe 13 Curses by Michelle Harrison

The Thirteen Treasures have become the Thirteen Curses. When fairies stole her brother, Red vowed to get him back. Now trapped in the fairy realm, she begs an audience with the fairy court where she strikes a bargain. Her brother will be returned - but only if she can find the thirteen charms of Tanya's bracelet that have been scattered in the human world. Returning to Elvesden Manor, Red is assisted by Tanya and Fabian and a desperate hunt begins. Soon they make a shocking discovery. The charms now have twisted qualities of the thirteen treasures they represent...and the longer they are missing the worse the consequences will be. Can Red, Tanya and Fabian find all the charms? And even if they do, will the fairies keep their promise? From Amazon UK


The Sea of Trolls by Nancy FarmerThe Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer - I have the UK cover, but can’t find a good quality image of it.

Jack is an apprentice bard and just beginning to learn the secrets of his mysterious master, when he and his little sister are captured by Viking chief, Olaf One-Brow, and taken to the court of Ivar the Boneless. Ivar is married to a half-troll named Frith, an evil and unpredictable queen with a strange power over her husband's court. Jack is sent on to the kingdom of the trolls, where he has to find the magical well and undo the charm he has cast on Frith. He is accompanied by Thorgill, a shield maiden, aged 12, who wants to be a berserker when she grows up. Together, they are set for a magical and exciting adventure. From Amazon UK


The Land of the Silver Apples by Nancy FarmerThe Land of the Silver Apples by Nancy Farmer - I have the UK cover, but can’t find a good quality image of it.

In trying to save his sister Lucy from being thrown down a well, Jack has managed to cause an earthquake which demolishes a monastery. It appears that sometimes, the magic just doesn't quite work out...but then he is, after all, only a bard-in-training! So when Lucy is unceremoniously carried off by the Lady of the Lake, Jack gives chase and follows her through the Hollow Road which lies underground. Aided by his friend, Thorgil, the berserker, and slave girl, Pega, Jack uncovers an unexpected world of hidden caves, hobgoblins, kelpies and elves - not the enchanted sprites one would expect, but fallen angels who steal human children and torment them...could this be the fate of his sister? Underground, Jack discovers that his actions will determine the fate of both worlds... From Amazon UK


The Islands of the Blessed by Nancy FarmerThe Islands of the Blessed by Nancy Farmer - I have the UK cover, but can’t find a good quality image of it.

In the final adventure of Nancy Farmer's acclaimed trilogy a malevolent spirit of a vengeful mermaid is wreaking havoc on Jack's village and it's up to him, the old Bard and Thorgril to confront and vanquish the restless draugr. But the task will not be easy and the three find themselves travelling once more with Thorgil's northman brother and his crew into the most dangerous of waters. Their quest to right old wrongs leads them from a village plagued by a hogboon to the fin folk land of Notland and via every danger in-between. Can they escape the perils they face and return in time to help undead spirit to find peace? From Amazon UK


The Medusa Project: The Set-Up by Sophie McKenzieThe Medusa Project: The Set-Up by Sophie McKenzie

Fourteen years ago, scientist William Fox implanted four babies with the Medusa gene - a gene for psychic abilities. But Fox died and the babies were hidden away for years. Now the children are teenagers - and unaware that their psychic powers are about to kick in. Cocky, charismatic Nico thinks his emerging telekinetic abilities will bring him money, power and the girl of his dreams. He's about to find out just how wrong he is... From Amazon UK


The Medusa Project: The Hostage by Sophie McKenzieThe Medusa Project: The Hostage by Sophie McKenzie

Fourteen years ago, four babies were implanted with the Medusa gene - a gene for psychic abilities. Now teenagers, Nico, Ketty, Ed and Dylan have been brought together by government agents to create a secret crime-fighting force - The Medusa Project. But now Ketty's brother Lex has stumbled into a dangerous game involving his boss and a hidden bomb. It's up to Ketty to save him without letting on what she knows to the rest of the team. But can she control her psychic visions, and her feelings for Nico, without getting the team's cover - and herself - blown sky high? From Amazon UK


Identical by Ellen HopkinsIdentical by Ellen Hopkins

Do twins begin in the womb?
Or in a better place?

Kaeleigh and Raeanne are identical down to the dimple. As daughters of a district-court judge father and a politician mother, they are an all-American family -- on the surface. Behind the facade each sister has her own dark secret, and that's where their differences begin.

For Kaeleigh, she's the misplaced focus of Daddy's love, intended for a mother whose presence on the campaign trail means absence at home. All that Raeanne sees is Daddy playing a game of favorites -- and she is losing. If she has to lose, she will do it on her own terms, so she chooses drugs, alcohol, and sex.

Secrets like the ones the twins are harboring are not meant to be kept -- from each other or anyone else. Pretty soon it's obvious that neither sister can handle it alone, and one sister must step up to save the other, but the question is -- who?
From Amazon US


Unwind by Neal ShustermanUnwind by Neal Shusterman

Connor's parents want to be rid of him because he's a troublemaker. Risa has no parents and is being unwound to cut orphanage costs. Lev's unwinding has been planned since his birth as part of his family's strict religion. Brought together by chance, and kept together through desperation, these three unlikely companions make a harrowing cross-country journey, knowing all the while that their lives are hanging in the balance. If they can survive until their eighteenth birthdays, they can't be harmed. But when every piece of them, from their hands to their hearts, are wanted by a world gone mad, eighteen seems far, far away...Neal Shusterman challenges readers' ideas about life - not just where it begins and where it ends, but what it truly means to be alive. From Amazon UK


I am an EXTREMELY happy girl! The lovely ladies at S&S UK are just so awesome! :D

46 comments:

  1. Claire De Lune and Shade!!!! oh man!! I am mucho jealous but also so so so excited for you!

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  2. I knoooow! I'd been eyeing them for most of the week! I did feel a little guilty taking them all, though; of course, I'll read and review them, but it kind of felt like I was stealing, lol, even though I was told several times that I could just take what I wanted (as long as there were other copies available).

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  3. You just got so many books that I want to read: Perfect Chemistry, Fade, Skinned, Claire De Lune, shade. Yep, I'm jealous :p

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  4. Awesome books! I loved Perfect Chemistry, and I want to read Fade, Claire de Lune, and Shade. Happy reading! :D

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  5. What a great group of books! Shade and Claire de Lune look especially lovely. I want them.

    I read and enjoyed My Soul to Take. Perfect Chemistry and The Medusa Project: The Set Up are sitting on my TBR stack to be read when I get a chance.

    Happy reading!

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  6. I really wanna read Perfect Chemistry! Six Steps to a Girl and Unwind sound really good!

    Fade and Identical are fantastic! I have reviews of them on my blog.

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  7. Wow you've got an amazing selection there!! I've heard really good things about Perfect Chemistry but a lot of those books look fab. I'll be looking forward to reading your reviews!!

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  8. Squiggles - I am SO looking forward to reading them! Too excited that I was allowed to take them home! :)

    Jenn - Thank you! I've heard great things about Perfect Chemistry, and the others sound just awesome! I can't wait to read them!

    Kathy - Thank you! I am so eager to read My Soul to Take! I am just so chuffed Harlequin Teen sent me a copy! I'm looking forward to reading all my books!

    Bianca - Ohh, awesome, I may check out your reviews! I'm excited to read the others!

    Sarah - Cheers, I hope I'll post some positive reviews for you! :)

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  9. Ooh, excellent book loot! I've only read Unwind but I absolutely loved it. Can't wait to get my hands on many of these. I hope you enjoy your books!

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  10. Thank you! I'm looking forward to reading pretty much all of them! :D I can't wait to read Unwind; I've read Everlost, and I'm currently reading Everwild, and I just love Neal Shusterman's writing! :D

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  11. Great selection! I really liked the first in Vincent's Soul Screamers series, I hope you will too! I have Skinned on my TBR pile, too, I should really get to it soon!

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  12. Cool! I will be very interested to hear your thoughts on Clair de Lune as so many people have WOWed it and it would be nice to know a little more. I haven't had time to catch up on your work experience posts but I'll do that now. Enjoy!

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  13. Kay - Thank you! I'm sure I'll love My Soul to Take; I love Vincent's adult series, and I enjoyed the prequel, My Soul to Lose, so I'm excited for it! Skinned looks really great! Like a Monster Republic for girls! :)

    LC - Cheers! I'm looking forward to reading them all!

    Becky - Thanks Becky! Claire de Lune sounds a little similar to Blood and Chocolate I think, just a little different. It sounds so good! :D

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  14. Ace week! Read Identical soon Jo - I want you to love Ellen Hopkins with me!

    But start with Perfect Chemistry - it is AMAZING! Yay!

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  15. Haha, Kat gave me Perfect Chemistry before I even knew it was there, just because you had raved to her about it! :D I'm looking forward to reading both!

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  16. Um... wow! I'm especially excited to see Claire de Lune there because I can't wait to read it, and seeing it in your IMM post makes it seem that much nearer. Yay! Oh and Fade of course. I'm actually coveting most of those. I'll look forward to your reviews!

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  17. Thanks! I hope I'll be posting some positive reviews for you! :D

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  18. I've really been looking forward to Perfect Chemistry and I'm so excited it's nearly out in the UK!

    I loved Six Steps to a Girl. Hope you enjoy all your great books!

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  19. WOW! What a line-up! I am looking forward to Perfect Chemistry and Fade.

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  20. Whoa. **plotting on how to steal your mailbox**

    Just kidding. Awesome books! I love the cover for Claire de Lune, and Shade, of course. I have Skinned, but I love that cover more the one I've got! :D

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  21. Luisa - Perfect Chemistry does sound great! I'm looking forward to reading it! And I thought of your recommendation about Six Steps to a Girl during Sex in Teen Lit month, so I thought I'd give it a go! Sounds great! Cheers, I'm hoping I'll love them all!

    Stephanie - I know, so many! I'm looking forward to reading them all!

    Lea - Haha! ;) I'm not sure if the covers fro Shade and Claire de Lune will stay the same; I've got the US ARCs which were sent to S&S UK, they may change the covers for their own releases. Like with Skinned, it's the UK cover. I love it!

    CI - I know! I'm so lucky! :D

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  22. Great books you got this week, they all look really good. Identical is a pretty good book. Hope you enjoy reading all your books.

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  23. Thank you! I'm so looking forward to reading them all! :)

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  24. Hi!
    Great haul of books! They all look like great ones to read. Have a great day!

    Sherrie
    Just Books
    http://sherriesbooks.blogspot.com/2010/01/in-my-mailbox_24.html

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  25. Thank you! I'm sure they're all awesome!

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  26. WOW! what awesome books this week! i hope you enjoy them all! happy reading!

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  27. Thank you! I know, S&S UK were just so awesome with letting me take books. I'm looking forward to reading them all! :D

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  28. Looks like some great books. Happy Reading!

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  29. Thanks! I'm looking forward to reading them :)

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  30. Wow, that's a lot of really great books! I'm so jealous of Shade :D I want to read that one bad!

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  31. SKINNED! PERFECT CHEMISTRY! Amazing books! Really hope you enjoy them!

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  32. Brooke - I know! When I saw it on the shelf I actul squee-ed a bit! :D Can't wait to read it!

    Raíla - Ohh, that's great to hear! I hope I think they're just as good!

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  33. Thank you! I'm sure I'll love them!

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  34. Wow! You've had a fantastic week! Unwind, The 13 Curses and Perfect Chemsitry are all brilliant. Hope you love them!

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  35. Great week!

    Perfect Chemistry is AWESOME! Enjoy!

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  36. Thank you! I keep getting positive comments about Perfect Chemistry, they make me excited to read it! :)

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  37. Lucky girl, Jo. Those look great! What work experience did you do? That sounds really interesting (anything to do with books sounds like a dream job to me!)

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  38. Thanks, I'll enjoy reading them - I hope! I worked doing publishing admin for the Children's Marketing and Publicity department at Simon & Schuster UK! :) If you're interested, go back to my home page and scroll down, I have a whole post about it.

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  39. I've left you an award at my blog :o)
    http://bookreviewsbysarah.blogspot.com/2010/01/over-top-award.html

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  40. Ohhh, thank you! I shall check it out now! Cheers! :)

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  41. WOW! ^o^ What more can be said? Looks like someone has some pretty good reads there for a while....

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  42. I doooo! I'm looking forward to reading them all! :D I was very lucky!

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  43. Omg I can really see that's Janie from wake I can describe her like that!:D

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