In My Mailbox (118)

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren



Review:

To Be A Cat by Matt Haig
This sounds really cute!

Sea Hearts (but will be called The Brides of Rollrock Island) by Margo Lanagan
This sounds seriously good!  Plus the cover is awesome!

The Storyteller by Antonia Michaelis
I love the sound of this one! 

Bought:

Flying Blind by Deborah Cooke
I love the sound of this!  Shape shifting dragons?  Yes please!

Balefire by Cate Tiernan
This is all four books in one volume.  I like the Sweep series so I thought I'd give this a go too.

Boys, Girls and other Hazardous Materials by Rosalind Wiseman
I've heard mixed things about this one but am looking forward to seeing what I think.

Coffeehouse Angel by Suzanne Selfors
I've been looking forward to getting this for a while.  Sounds great!

Awake at Dawn by C C Hunter
The sequel to Born at Midnight - which I still need to read.  Love the covers for this series!

The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge
I am ashamed to say I have never read this.  I love this hardback version.

Hope you all had a great week:)

Eve by Anna Carey

For Review: PGUK (HarperCollins US)
Published: 20 November 2011

From Goodreads: Where do you go when nowhere is safe?

Sixteen years after a deadly virus wiped out most of Earth’s population, the world is a perilous place. Eighteen-year-old Eve has never been beyond the heavily guarded perimeter of her school, where she and two hundred other orphaned girls have been promised a future as the teachers and artists of the New America. But the night before graduation, Eve learns the shocking truth about her school’s real purpose—and the horrifying fate that awaits her.

Fleeing the only home she’s ever known, Eve sets off on a long, treacherous journey, searching for a place she can survive. Along the way she encounters Arden, her former rival from school, and Caleb, a rough, rebellious boy living in the wild. Separated from men her whole life, Eve has been taught to fear them, but Caleb slowly wins her trust... and her heart. He promises to protect her, but when soldiers begin hunting them, Eve must choose between true love and her life.

I'd been looking forward to reading this one for a while so I was really pleased to be offered a review copy. And I am pleased to say it lived up to my expectations.  I really am starting to love dystopian fiction!

I really liked the characters in this one.  Eve is great as the story's narrator.  I found myself automatically liking her - and growing to like her more and more as the story progressed.  She's not always perfect - in fact one mistake she makes has rather devastating consequences - but that just makes her more real.  I adored Arden - she's prickly but underneath all that she obviously cares a great deal.  And Caleb is just lovely.  He's really kind and nice - and it doesn't surprise me that he manages to win Eve's trust.  It's not just Eve, Caleb and Arden that have a strong impact though - many of the other characters we meet throughout the story do too - or at least they did for me.

I also liked the concept behind the novel - a virus that's killed off most of the population, the way the girls are segregated and raised to fear men,  and the true fate that awaits them.  It all feels rather chilling actually - both the purpose of the school and the reality that awaits them outside of it's gates.  One small niggle though is that I don't fully understand the logic behind educating the girls to such a high standard if their fate is already sealed?  But perhaps there are reasons we don't know yet.

I'm very interested to see how this progresses and am really looking forward to Once when it's published.  I have a few ideas about the real reason they seem to be so interested in Eve - I'm not convinced it's for the reason they think it is - I don't think they would be that intent on finding her if it was.  But I guess I'm just going to have to wait to find out!  Roll on 2012!

Did You Know? Some Book News...

I've had quite a bit of book news emailed to me lately so I thought I'd do a collective post for it all.

Random House have acquired 4 new dystopian novels to be published 2012 -2013.  Here's the press release:

Random House Children’s Books has acquired four new debut dystopian novels for publication in 2012 and 2013. RHCB’s exciting wave of near-future titles, all acquired by Ruth Knowles, include:

Starters by Lissa Price, an American screenwriter, publishing in April 2012, is an action-packed thriller set in a world where eternal youthfulness can be had – at a price. One girl has the ability to bring it all tumbling down . . . RHCB acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Heather Shapiro at Baror International and will be launching globally alongside Random Inc for a truly international campaign.

A post- apocalyptic Los Angeles is the setting for Struck by Jenifer Bosworth, publishing in July 2012. After the city is devastated by an earthquake, Mia Price finds herself in the middle of a power struggle between two fanatical cults; one that wants to save the world and another that wants to destroy it. RHCB acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Alex Webb of the Rights People, acting on behalf of FSG.

Sangu Mandanna’s debut The Lost Girl publishes in early 2013 and centres around Eva, a feisty teen girl who technically has no true identity of her own. Eva is forced to abandon everything she's ever known and loved, finding herself torn between two worlds. RHCB acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Sarah Malloy of A.M. Heath acting on behalf of the Elizabeth Kaplan agency.

And finally, children’s librarian Emma Pass, releases ACID in early 2013. This action-packed novel introduces us to Jenna Strong, a truly kick-ass heroine who is serving time in an all-male prison for the murder of her parents. Set one hundred years in the future in a Big Brother style society; Britain is now under the control of ACID – a terrifying all-seeing police force. RHCB acquired world rights from Carolyn Whitaker of London Independent Books.

Ruth Knowles, Commissioning Editor comments, ‘Dystopian fiction is a much-talked about genre, particularly with the release of The Hunger Games movie next spring. We have acquired some fantastic futuristic thrillers that we know will appeal to this audience, and are confident that RHCB will have some of the most exciting novels in the genre. The worlds within them are very different from each other, but all completely hook you in from the first page and do not let go.’

The all sound AMAZING! Can't wait!

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I'm a little late sharing this as I think it's already started but Guardian Teen Books and Random House have partnered on a interactive story you can access online.  Here is the info I was sent:

Guardian Teen Books has partnered with Random House for a new interactive, serialised story called Root - a fast-paced thriller set in the shadowy world of computer hacking and espionage. Every weekday for six weeks a new chapter will be released on guardian.co.uk/teen-books. The content will be directly influenced by readers’ contributions, such as their ideas for characters' personalities and skills.

The heroine Molly Root is a 15 year old computer genius whose friend Danny is killed after being caught stealing priceless data from a ruthless global corporation. Now she's in over her head. So far Molly Root's mission to get to the bottom of her best friend's murder has taken her on a perilous trail across London. Her key lead is a dodgy police detective - and her attempts to expose his shady contacts are testing her ingenuity to the limits.

As well as incorporating suggestions from readers, the story will also be brought to life via several social media platforms. For example, Guardian Teen Books' Twitter and Facebook accounts will be providing behind the scenes updates of how Molly is progressing, along with clips on Audioboo featuring the voicemails that Molly has discovered. This will be accompanied by onsite quizzes and photo puzzles on Flickr.

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I also had an email from the new philanthropic organization called Gone Reading International.  They market a line of gifts for readers and donate 100% of company profits to fund new libraries in the developing world. You can read more about them at http://www.gonereading.com/.  They have some really cute products - personally I'm kind of in love with the Evolution of Reading Tote Bag!  It's awesome, right?

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I've also come across a few book bargains if you are like ebooks.

* Tyger Tyger by Kersten Hamilton is $2.75 on Kindle (US) and £1.71 on Kindle (UK).  For Nook users it's available on Barnes and Noble for $2.99.  I believe Apple and Google are also doing it for $2.99.  I really enjoyed it - you can read my review for it here.

* Kiss for Lula by Samantha Mackintosh is currently free on Kindle (on both Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com)  I really need to read this one promto - it sounds awesome!

* The Shadowing: Hunted by Adam Slater is also currently free on Kindle ( on both Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com).  Despite the cover giving me the creeps (!) it does sound rather good!

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That's all folks:D

2012 Debut Author Challenge

I've decided to take part in the 2012 Debut Author Challenge - I love discovering new authors and this is a brilliant way to find them.  It's hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren and you can click here to sign up &  get more info.

In order to complete the challenge you need to read a minimum of 12 YA or MG Debuts during January 1, 2012 - January 31, 2013.

The debuts I'm thinking of reading are:

1: 15 Days Without A Head by Dave Cousins
2: Wonder by R.J. Palacio
3: Someone Else's Life by Katie Dale
4: Fracture by Megan Miranda
5: The Other Life by Susanne Winnacker
6: The Catastrophic History of You & Me by Jess Rothenberg
7: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
8: Struck by Jennifer Bosworth
9: My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick
10: Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
11: Starters by Lissa Price
12: Shooting Stars by Allison Rushby
13: Where It Began by Ann Redisch Stampler
14: Tempest by Julie Cross
15: Ditched: A Love Story by Robin Mellom
16: Article 5 by Kristen Simmons

And I'm sure there will be many more that I discover as we get into 2012. And since I have review copies of a few of these there is the chance that I may not be able to control myself and actually wait until 2012 to read them lol.

Books read for the challenge:

1: Someone Else's Life by Katie Dale
2: 15 Days Without A Head by Dave Cousins
3: Lolly Luck by Ellie Daines
4: Everneath by Brodi Ashton
5: Legend by Marie Lu
6: Skin Deep by Laura Jarratt
7: Hollow Pike by James Dawson
8: Wonder by R J Palacio
9: Geekhood by Andy Robb
10: Pushing The Limits by Katie McGarry
11: Saving June by Hannah Harrington
12: Shift by Em Bailey
13: Shooting Stars by Alison Rushby
14: Unravelling by Elizabeth Norris
15: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
16:  My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick
17: Crave by Melissa Darnell

Deadly Cool by Gemma Halliday

From Goodreads: Hartley Grace Featherstone is having a very bad day. First she finds out that her boyfriend is cheating on her with the president of the Herbert Hoover High School Chastity Club. Then he's pegged as the #1 suspect in a murder. And if that weren't enough, now he's depending on Hartley to clear his name. Seriously? Not cool.

But as much as Hartley wouldn't mind seeing him squirm, she knows he's innocent, and she's the only one who can help him. Along with her best friend, Sam, and the school's resident Bad Boy, Chase, Hartley starts investigating on her own. But as the dead bodies begin to pile up, the mystery deepens, the suspects multiply, and Hartley begins to fear that she may be the killer's next victim.

This book is seriously good! It's just so funny - and really enjoyable to read. I loved it.

I really liked Hartley - she's funny, likeable, a bit daft but has a great way with words and is a brilliant narrator for the story.  I also really loved her friend Sam - apparently she is trying to censor her swearing and comes up with some great alternatives.  Plus I liked how she was always there for Hartley.

I really didn't like Josh.  He comes across as a bit of a jerk - and then completely proves it about half way through the story with what he says to Hartley.  If I had been her I would have been very tempted to punch him ... or kick him where it hurts.  Hard!  Not that I advocate violence or anything...

Chase on the other hand is just plain gorgeous!  I completely loved him - that scene in the bedroom (yes he was shirtless but no it's not what you are thinking!) was really funny.  And I have to agree with Sam... I think I would have let him continue...  lol.  But, anyway, I loved the interactions between Chase and Hartley - they definitely have chemistry.

The mystery is really good too - I wasn't sure who it was going to be - so I didn't find it predictable at all.  I really do seem to be losing my skills in that department - but in my defence the book is (and I know I keep saying this) really, really funny so that's a great distraction.

A great first installment in what I hope is many more books in the series.  I am definitely looking forward to Social Suicide when it's released.