In My Mailbox (17)

I haven't done IMM in so so so long. Here are the books I received this week. Usually, clicking on the title would take you to the Goodreads page, but Goodreads isn't working.

Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout

My first Armentrout book! Thanks so much to Andrea at The Bookish Babes. 

Timeless by Alexandra Monir

A signed copy, thanks again to Andrea!

The List by Siobhan Vivian

Thanks so much to Ash, from Smash Attack Reads.

*Also, the boat load of swag came from Andrea! <3

You ladies are so fabulous! 

Legend by Marie Lu

Library copy. 

Every Other Day by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Library copy. 

House of Night comic by P.C. and Kristin Cast 

NetGalley

Dark Companion by Marta Acosta

NetGalley 

Keep Holding On by Susane Colasanti

Netgalley. I've been really into contemp lately, so I'm super siked for this! 

Redemption by Veronique Launier

Netgalley

Touch by Jus Accardo

A ginormicus thanks goes to Dark Angel Reader for loaning her Kindle copy of this. I've already read and adored this! 

Spectral by Shannon Duffy

Received for blog tour from Tribute Books

What did you get in your mailbox this week!?

Practically Peeing - The Ending Edition

I know, what a weird post title! But there's a lot of times when I'm excited for a book I say I'm peeing my pants for it. So "Practically Peeing" is a feature sort of like Waiting on Wednesday or On My Wishlist or Books  To Pine For where I showcase books that I realllllllly want to read. They might already be released, they might be a year away, they might be coming out next month! Either way, I can guarantee, I really want to read them.

There are so many trilogies and sagas and series in the world these days, I feel like I'm always waiting for the next frickin' book! But among all these beginnings, there are a few fabulous series coming to an end, and while it's sad to see the stories I love coming to an end, I cannot wait to see how the amazing authors conclude their characters' drama.

Beautiful Redemption by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

October 23, 2012

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Is death the end . . . or only the beginning?

Ethan Wate has spent most of his life longing to escape the stiflingly small Southern town of Gatlin. He never thought he would meet the girl of his dreams, Lena Duchannes, who unveiled a secretive, powerful, and cursed side of Gatlin, hidden in plain sight. And he never could have expected that he would be forced to leave behind everyone and everything he cares about. So when Ethan awakes after the chilling events of the Eighteenth Moon, he has only one goal: to find a way to return to Lena and the ones he loves.

Back in Gatlin, Lena is making her own bargains for Ethan's return, vowing to do whatever it takes -- even if that means trusting old enemies or risking the lives of the family and friends Ethan left to protect.

Worlds apart, Ethan and Lena must once again work together to rewrite their fate, in this stunning finale to the Beautiful Creatures series.

Black Heart by Holly Black

April 3, 2012

Margaret K. McElderry

Cassel Sharpe knows he’s been used as an assassin, but he’s trying to put all that behind him. He’s trying to be good, even though he grew up in a family of con artists and cheating comes as easily as breathing to him. He’s trying to do the right thing, even though the girl he loves is inextricably connected with crime. And he’s trying to convince himself that working for the Feds is smart, even though he’s been raised to believe the government is the enemy.

But with a mother on the lam, the girl he loves about to take her place in the Mob, and new secrets coming to light, the line between what’s right and what’s wrong becomes increasingly blurred. When the Feds ask Cassel to do the one thing he said he would never do again, he needs to sort out what’s a con and what’s truth. In a dangerous game and with his life on the line, Cassel may have to make his biggest gamble yet—this time on love. 

Endlessly by Kiersten White

July 24, 2012

HarperTeen

Try as she might, Evie can’t seem to escape her not-so-normal past. And what was supposed to be a blissfully normal school break is ruined when a massive group of paranormals shows up at her house, claiming that Evie is the only one who can protect them from a mysterious, perilous fate.

The deadly war between the faerie courts looms ever closer. The clock is ticking on the entire paranormal world. And its future rests solely in Evie’s hands.

So much for normal.

With a perfect blend of humor and suspense, Endlessly is everything readers could dream of in a conclusion—and the unexpected twists will keep them guessing until the very last page. 

Spell Bound by Rachel Hawkins

March 13, 2012

Hyperion Books

 Hailed as “impossible to put down,” the Hex Hall series has both critics and teens cheering. With a winning combination of romance, action, magic and humor, this third volume will leave readers enchanted.

Just as Sophie Mercer has come to accept her extraordinary magical powers as a demon, the Prodigium Council strips them away. Now Sophie is defenseless, alone, and at the mercy of her sworn enemies—the Brannicks, a family of warrior women who hunt down the Prodigium. Or at least that’s what Sophie thinks, until she makes a surprising discovery. The Brannicks know an epic war is coming, and they believe Sophie is the only one powerful enough to stop the world from ending. But without her magic, Sophie isn’t as confident.

Sophie’s bound for one hell of a ride—can she get her powers back before it’s too late?

Taken by Storm by Jannifer Lynn Barnes

May 22, 2012

Egmont USA

Bryn knows first-hand that being the alpha of a werewolf pack means making hard decisions, and that being human makes things a thousand times worse. She's prepared to give up her humanity, but the wolf who promised to Change her is waiting - though for what, Bryn doesn't know. Still human, she must take her place in the werewolf Senate, the precarious democracy that rules the North American packs. Standing side by side with werewolves who were ancient long before she was ever born is enough of a challenge, but Bryn soon learns that the Senate has been called to deal with a problem: the kind of problem that involves human bodies, a Rabid werewolf, and memories that Bryn, Chase, and the rest of their pack would rather forget. With bodies stacking up and political pressure closing in from all sides, Bryn and her pack are going to have to turn to old enemies and even older friends for help - especially when it starts to look like this time, the monster might be one of their own. 

Have you read any of these series? Are you superdy siked for any of these books!? 

It's Monday! What are you reading? (4)

This weekly meme is hosted by Book Journey.

FINISHED:

I didn't finish anything last week! :'( I was super duper busy. EEP.

TO READ THIS WEEK:

*Darker Still by Leanna Renee Hieber
*Gone by Michael Grant
*Every Other Day by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Hopefull I'll actually read something this week!

WHAT ARE YOU READING THIS WEEK?

WWW Wednesdays

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?

• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

WWW Wednesdays is a weekly meme hosted by Should Be Reading.

What are you currently reading?

Infinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon.
So far, this book is alright. Not great, not bad. I'm going to continue reading and see if it improves any.

What did you recently finish reading?
Trial by Fire by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Review here!)

This book is the second installment in the Raised by Wolves series. It's about a human girl trying to make the right decisions being the alpha of the pack. I'd been wanting to get my hands on it for a while.

What do you think you'll read next?

 Once again, I'm not sure, because as usual I have a huge TBR pile. I know that on Tuesday I'm getting Bloodlines by Richelle Mead, but before that I'll probably read Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater. It's another book I've been dying to read, but never got a hold of.

Trial by Fire by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (REVIEW)

TRIAL BY FIRE BY JENNIFER LYNN BARNES

(RAISED BY WOLVES #2)

Genre: YA paranormal - - - Publication date: June 14, 2011

 There can only be one alpha.

Bryn is finally settling into her position as alpha of the Cedar Ridge Pack—or at least, her own version of what it means to be alpha when you’re a human leading a band of werewolves. Then she finds a teenage boy bleeding on her front porch. Before collapsing, he tells her his name is Lucas, he’s a Were, and Bryn’s protection is his only hope.

But Lucas isn’t part of Bryn’s pack, and she has no right to claim another alpha’s Were.  With threats—old and new—looming, and danger closing in from all sides, Bryn will have to accept what her guardian Callum knew all along. To be alpha, she will have to give in to her own animal instincts and become less human. And, she’s going to have to do it alone.

Bryn faces both the costs, and the rewards, of love and loyalty, in this thrilling sequel to Raised by Wolves. (Goodreads.com)

 

Yay! This book has been on my wishlist since I finished Raised by Wolves, which is the first book in the series. I was so happy when I found this book at my library, I literally squealed. The librarian and some little boy looking for pokemon books both shot me very weird looks. Hmph!

I'll admit, I wasn't nearly as pleased with the cover of this book as I was with the first book. I feel like it was cool enough so that I would probably pick it up and read the summary (if I wasn't already looking for it), but it would probably be one of those books that I put on the bottom of my TBR pile. Good thing I was seriously looking forward to reading this book and moved it to the TOP of my TBR pile!

On the cover, Melissa Marr states that this book is "Quite simply, the most compelling YA werewolf series out there." Melissa Marr, you could NOT have said it better! This book is animalistic and feral in the best possible way. It deals with gender dominance, mental dominance, species dominance. Bryn spends most of the book fighting her inner-wolf. She has almost a dozen werewolves inside of her head, and even though she is human, how would she not struggle with her inner-wolf? She was raised her whole life to go with her instincts and to scrape away the ignorance that made her a human being. Foll intents and purposes, Bryn is a wolf, even if she is only human.

I think that the plot for this book is unique and original. The world that Jennifer Lynn Barnes built is strong and absolute. While reading, the wolves and psychics feel so real, like they could actually exist. The pacing isn't completely exhilarating, but Bryn's thought process keeps it interesting.

The whole book is in Bryn's mind, and the reader spends most of the time puzzling over the issues with Bryn, trying to figure out what certain little hints could mean. This book contains so many surprises that made me want to smack my forehead along with Bryn and think, "I should have seen that coming!" This book is literally a nail-biter. I have been working so hard for the past week to kick my nail-biting habit, but all of that work went to crap as I read this book.

For a sophomore in high school, Bryn faces some pretty unfathomable challenges. She has to deal with psychics and unravel devious plots that other werewolves have set in motion. As a human alpha of her pack, she is clearly the outsider, and she has to make that work for her. She has to deal with her vulnerabilities and accept that sometimes she is going to need help. The fact that she is human makes for some pretty sticky situations among other wolves and considering her pack contains females, which are a rarity amongst the wolves, she has a bright, flashing target on her back.

The journey with Bryn was one I took with immense pleasure as she conquered her weaknesses, honed her abilities as an alpha, and fought to protect her pack no matter what it took. Somewhere along the way, Bryn had to accept that one day she would die for her pack. That was what made her alpha.

One thing I could have used more of in this book was Chase. Their relationship is animalistic, sort of creepy, and just outright intriguing! I would have loved for Jennifer Lynn Barnes to have delved deeper into Bryn's feelings for him, but the plot didn't call for it.

The writing was fantastic, intelligent, and dry. There are clever synonyms and metaphors that really helped me recognize why Jennifer Lynn Barnes is a great writer. Plus, she mentioned Glee, which always elicits brownie points from me.

I loved this book, just as I loved Raised by Wolves, just as I'm sure I will love the next installment. It is a delightful twist on the classic werewolf tales we have grown accustomed to.

• The protagonist. Bryn is the ultimate package in a heroine. She is tough, deviously skilled, willing to get her hands dirty, and makes smart decisions. Though she is known for being rash, in this book she thought everything through much more carefully. She did her best to decipher the subtle signs that Callum sent her and had to keep her cool when nobody else could. As the alpha she had to make decisions beyond her comprehension and she had to always put her pack first. She had to sacrifice herself, even when nobody else wanted her to. She had to analyze every word that came out of the potential threats' mouths. All the while she had the immaculate vulnerability of being a human amongst werewolves. She was technically the weakest, technically could have been dead at any second. I felt really connected to her, and just like the other elements in this story, I felt like she was a real person.
• The secondary characters. Devon. Devon Devon Devon. I think that he is my favorite characters. He is goofy, attractive, kind of girly, but when it all comes down to it, he is one tough mammajamma and he will do anything to protect his friends. Lake. Lake is fun and entertaining. She is trigger-happy and damn proud of it. I love Ali as well. Because despite her being human as well, she is one tough cookie! I also love that we get to learn more about her past in this book.Some shocking things are revealed.

Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Trial by Fire by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

TEASER:

 A reply was on the tip of my tongue, but before I could press Caroline to tell me how she could call my pack monsters, given what her coven had done to a battered teenage boy, a single note, haunting and low, made its way to my ears, and suddenly, whatever I was going to say didn't seem nearly so important.

Page 169

WWW Wednesdays

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?

• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

WWW Wednesdays is a weekly meme hosted by Should Be Reading.

What are you currently reading?

Divergent by Veronica Roth.

I've heard so many wonderful things about it that I had to get it. I'm not very far yet, but it is already really good. I love the factions and if I were to be assigned to one I think I'd either be Erudite or Candor (intelligent or honest).

 

What did you recently finish reading?

Released by Megan Duncan. (REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY!)

This book is about four teenagers trying to find safety during the midst of a demon apocalypse. It was a quick and fun read.

What do you think you'll read next?

You know, I'm not positive considering I have a pretty large TBR pile right now, but I'm guessing it will probably be Trial By Fire by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. It is the sequel to Raised by Wolves, which I loved, and I have been waiting to read it for a while!

What about you? Are you reading anything great right now? Or did you just finish something great? I love great books, therefore I would love to hear your recommendations.

On my wishlist (1)

On my wishlist is a weekly meme hosted by Book Chick City every Saturday.

If you would like to participate or learn more about it, click HERE.



My wishlist:

Betrayal by Lee Nichols.

Publication date: March, 2011

Genre: YA paranormal

Summary from Goodreads:



Emma Vaile is the most powerful ghostkeeper in centuries. Which is great when she's battling the wraith-master Neos, but terrible when she's flirting with fellow ghostkeeper (and soul mate) Bennett. When ghostkeepers fall in love, the weaker one loses all power, and that's not something Bennett can handle. Heartbroken and alone, Emma tries to lose herself in school with fellow ghostkeeper, Natalie. When a new team of ghostkeepers arrive-one a snarky teen
boy, the other a British scholar-Emma finds solace in training for the battle against Neos. But as the team grows stronger, they are threatened by an unknown force. One they thought was good.
As chilling and page-turning as Deception, this sequel will grab readers and hold them to the last page. No one is safe from suspicion as Emma closes in on the traitor.

Trial by Fire by Jennifer Lynn Barnes.

Publication date: June, 2011

Genre: YA Paranormal

Summary from Goodreads:

There can only be one alpha.

Bryn is finally settling into her position as alpha of the Cedar Ridge Pack—or at least, her own version of what it means to be alpha when you’re a human leading a band of werewolves. Then she finds a teenage boy bleeding on her front porch. Before collapsing, he tells her his name is Lucas, he’s a Were, and Bryn’s protection is his only hope.

But Lucas isn’t part of Bryn’s pack, and she has no right to claim another alpha’s Were.  With threats—old and new—looming, and danger closing in from all sides, Bryn will have to accept what her guardian Callum knew all along. To be alpha, she will have to give in to her own animal instincts and become less human. And, she’s going to have to do it alone.

Bryn faces both the costs, and the rewards, of love and loyalty, in this thrilling sequel to Raised by Wolves.

Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer.

Publication Date: July, 2011

Genre: YA Paranormal

Summary from Goodreads:

When Calla Tor wakes up in the lair of the Searchers, her sworn enemies, she’s certain her days are numbered. But then the Searchers make her an offer—one that gives her the chance to destroy her former masters and save the pack—and the man—she left behind. Is Ren worth the price of her freedom? And will Shay stand by her side no matter what? Now in control of her own destiny, Calla must decide which battles are worth fighting and how many trials true love can endure and still survive.