Sunday, March 30, 2014

In My Mailbox Take 23!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Whoo! 23 In My Mailboxes! Isn't that awesome? Thank you all for visiting and I hope you enjoy looking at these books I got this week. Maybe I'll inspire you to read some of them. You never know!

Ruins (Partials Sequence, #3)

Ruins by Dan Wells
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17607716-ruins?ac=1
WARNING- THIRD BOOK!

The Edge of Falling The Edge of Falling

The Edge of Falling by Rebecca Serle
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18048731-the-edge-of-falling?ac=1

Better off Friends

Better Off Friends by Elizabeth Eulberg
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18222542-better-off-friends

The Voice inside My Head

The Voice Inside My Head by S.J. Laidlaw
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18077968-the-voice-inside-my-head?ac=1

Of Beast and Beauty

Of Beast and Beauty by Stacey Jay
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16113606-of-beast-and-beauty?ac=1

Dead Girl Walking (Dead Girl, #1) Dead Girl Walking (Dead Girl, #1)

Dead Girl Walking by Linda Joy Singleton
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3371584-dead-girl-walking?ac=1

Don't Die, Dragonfly (The Seer, #1)

Don't Die, Dragonfly by Linda Joy Singleton
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/452141.Don_t_Die_Dragonfly?ac=1

The Mirk and Midnight Hour

The Mirk and Midnight Hour by Jane Nickerson
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16055662-the-mirk-and-midnight-hour?ac=1

Where the Rock Splits the Sky Where the Rock Splits the Sky

Where the Rock Splits the Sky by Philip Webb
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18371571-where-the-rock-splits-the-sky?ac=1

The Winter Horses

The Winter Horses by Philip Kerr
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18404397-the-winter-horses?ac=1

Drama Queens in the House

Drama Queens in the House by Julie Williams
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17934390-drama-queens-in-the-house?ac=1

The Drowned Forest

The Drowned Forest by Kristopher Reisz
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18087541-the-drowned-forest?ac=1

The Collection

The Collection by Shannon Stoker
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18090113-the-collection?ac=1
WARNING- SEQUEL!

Side Effects May Vary

Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15728577-side-effects-may-vary?ac=1

The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender

The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18166936-the-strange-and-beautiful-sorrows-of-ava-lavender?ac=1

Storm (The SYLO Chronicles, #2)

Storm by D.J. MacHale
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18079675-storm?ac=1
WARNING- SEQUEL!

Silver Silver

Silver by Chris Wooding
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18289718-silver

The Cracks in the Kingdom (The Colours of Madeleine, #2)

The Cracks in the Kingdom by Jaclyn Moriarty
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18371573-the-cracks-in-the-kingdom?ac=1
WARNING- SEQUEL!

Anna and the French Kiss (Anna and the French Kiss, #1) Anna and the French Kiss (Anna and the French Kiss, #1) Herzklopfen auf Französisch (Anna and the French Kiss, #1) Anna e o Beijo Francês (Anna and the French Kiss, #1) Anna et le French Kiss Целувка за Ана (Целувка за Ана, #1) Herzklopfen auf Französisch (Anna and the French Kiss, #1)

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17453983-anna-and-the-french-kiss

The Cellar The Cellar (The Cellar, #1)

The Cellar by Natasha Preston
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19155234-the-cellar

The Nightmare Affair (The Arkwell Academy, #1) Midnight Academy: Die Traumjägerin (The Arkwell Academy, #1)

The Nightmare Affair by Mindee Arnett
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12411635-the-nightmare-affair?ac=1


So, what did you get this week? Any books you want to share with me?

Friday, March 28, 2014

Review on Oblivion

What would you do if you just had to write? I know a ton of writers would love that. I mean, you would never have writers block and the words would just flow right out of you. But what if you couldn't control what you write? What if you had a disorder where you had to compulsively write no matter where you are and you feel as if you're going to die if you can't write? It sounds horrifying, but Callie in Oblivion by Sasha Dawn has to deal with this disorder called graphomania.

Oblivion

Format: Hardcover/e-book
Pub. Date: May 27th, 2014
Summary:
Lisa McMann's Dead to You meets Kate Ellison's The Butterfly Clues in a psychological thriller full of romance, intrigue, and mystery.

One year ago, Callie was found in an abandoned apartment, scrawling words on the wall: "I KILLED HIM. His blood is on my hands. His heart is in my soul. I KILLED HIM." But she remembers nothing of that night or of the previous thirty-six hours. All she knows is that her father, the reverend at the Church of the Holy Promise, is missing, as is Hannah, a young girl from the parish. Their disappearances have to be connected and Callie knows that her father was not a righteous man.

Since that fateful night, she's been plagued by graphomania -- an unending and debilitating compulsion to write. The words that flow from Callie's mind and through her pen don't seem to make sense -- until now.

As the anniversary of Hannah's vanishing approaches, more words and memories bubble to the surface and a new guy in school might be the key to Callie putting together the puzzle. But digging up the secrets she's buried for so long might be her biggest mistake.
 

My rating: 4 out of 5 red pens!
My recommendation: Anyone who likes murder mysteries.
My review:
My copy was provided by Netgalley.
Calling Callie's family a little dysfunctional would definitely be considered an understatement. Callie's  psychic mother is in an insane asylum for stabbing her husband in the thigh. Callie's pastor father is missing ever since he disappeared on the same day as another teenage girl in town which can hardly be considered a coincidence. And Callie suffers through graphomania, ever since she was found writing on walls, "I KILLED HIM." No one knows what happened that night involving Callie, her father, and Hannah, and Callie holds the clues to the mstery. The problem is that Callie can't remember that night.
The only way the memory comes out is through her writing that she can't control. Her thoughts are disjointed in random scribbles that don't make sense on the paper. But somewhere, deep inside Callie's mind, these words make sense.
If Callie is able to piece together all the pieces, she will finally learn if she killed her father and if her father killed Hannah.
This book was really interesting. I had never heard of graphomania before and it was really intriguing to learn more about this mental disorder that I didn't even know existed.
Callie was an interesting character. I couldn't connect with her much and she was a bit difficult to understand, especially with her writing. Her mind was fractured and I felt really sorry for her.
The graphomania made this book hard to understand at times, but that was the whole purpose. It kept you guessing the whole time what really happened to Callie and what each phrase meant. The writing that might have seemed meaningless to a cop or a psychiatrist actually held clues to the mystery. I really liked how these words could unlock the secret within Callie's mind, bit by bit until the puzzle was finally solved.
What I didn't like was how, once again, the cops and teachers didn't do anything. Everyone could clearly tell that Callie had an actual disorder and it caused much distress, but some students thought she was faking the attacks and was just doing it for attention. I don't think actual teenagers would think of that when they witnessed one of her attacks.
Also, when Callie decided to stop taking her medicine, even though her attacks were increasing, no one did anything. Her doctor didn't force her to take the pills and no one seemed to care, even when some of these attacks led to blackouts that Callie couldn't remember. The cops didn't seem to do a single thing in solving the murder and it was all up to a girl with a mental disorder.
The ending was definitely awesome and I liked how all the pieces tied together, like Callie's mother. It was a bit confusing, but it tied in the whole story.
The book was original, interesting, and I liked how the author vividly described Callie's disorder. I especially liked how the mystery was solved and how the ending made me have to think about it for a couple minutes until all the pieces seemed to fit into place.

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

YA Books Out This Week!!!

There are more books out this week! Yay! I hope you caught up with your reading because I'm going to introduce you to some awesome books!

The Cracks in the Kingdom (The Colours of Madeleine, #2)

The Cracks in the Kingdom by Jaclyn Moriarty
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18371573-the-cracks-in-the-kingdom?ac=1
WARNING- SEQUEL!
The second in Jaclyn Moriarty's brilliant, acclaimed fantasy trilogy, THE COLORS OF MADELEINE!

Princess Ko's been bluffing about the mysterious absence of her father, desperately trying to keep the government running on her own. But if she can't get him back in a matter of weeks, the consequence may be a devastating war. So under the guise of a publicity stunt she gathers a group of teens -- each with a special ability -- from across the kingdom to crack the unsolvable case of the missing royals of Cello.

Chief among these is farm-boy heartthrob Elliot Baranski, more determined than ever to find his own father. And with the royal family trapped in the World with no memory of their former lives, Elliot's value to the Alliance is clear: He's the only one with a connection to the World, through his forbidden communications with Madeleine.

Through notes, letters, and late nights, Elliot and Madeleine must find a way to travel across worlds and bring missing loved ones home. The stakes are high, and the writing by turns hilarious and suspenseful, as only Jaclyn Moriarty can be.


Silver

Silver by Chris Wooding
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18289718-silver
The final exam is survival.

Paul is the new kid at Mortingham Boarding Academy, and he has a dark secret.
Caitlyn admires Paul from afar and resents that he only has eyes for Erika.
Erika thinks that she and Caitlyn are best friends, but she's wrong.
Adam is a bully with a major chip on his shoulder.
Mark is outgrowing his old friends but doesn't know how to make new ones.

In a few short hours, none of this will matter. Without warning, a horrifying infection will spread across the school grounds, and a group of students with little in common will find themselves barricaded in a classroom, fighting for their lives. Some will live. Some will die. And then it will get even worse.

Fast-paced and frightening, Silver is a tale set on the fringes of science and horror - a story about the struggle to survive in the face of impossible odds.


Where the Rock Splits the Sky

Where the Rock Splits the Sky by Philip Webb
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18371571-where-the-rock-splits-the-sky?ac=1
The moon has been split, and the Visitors have Earth in their alien grip. But the captive planet? That's not her problem. Megan just wants to track down her missing dad...

The world stopped turning long before Megan was born. Ever since the Visitors split the moon and stilled the Earth, permanent sunset is all anyone has known. But now, riding her trusty steed Cisco, joined by her posse, Kelly and Luis, Megan is on the run from her Texas hometown, journeying across the vast, dystopic American West to hunt down her father. To find him, she must face the Zone, a notorious landscape where the laws of nature do not apply. The desert can play deadly tricks on the mind, and the quest will push Megan past her limits. But to solve the mystery of not just her missing father but of the paralyzed planet itself, she must survive it--and an alien showdown.


Wanderers (Wasteland, #2)

Wanderers by Susan Kim and Laurence Klavan
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18052877-wanderers?from_search=true
WARNING- SEQUEL!
The Emmy Award-nominee and Edgar Award-winning duo bring readers back to the Wasteland in this thrilling sequel.

Karin Slaughter, bestselling author of Criminal, called Wasteland, "A Lord of the Flies for future generations. An irresistible page-turner."

The former citizens of Prin are running out of time. The Source has been destroyed, so food is scarcer than ever. Tensions are rising…and then an earthquake hits.

So Esther and Caleb hit the road, leading a ragtag caravan. Their destination? A mythical city where they hope to find food and shelter - not to mention a way to make it past age nineteen.

On the way, alliances and romances blossom and fracture. Esther must rally to take charge with the help of a blind guide, Aras. He seems unbelievably cruel, but not everything is as it seems in the Wasteland.…

In this sequel to Wasteland, the stakes are even higher for Esther, Caleb, and the rest of their clan. They're pinning all their hopes on the road...but what if it's the most dangerous place of all?


Drama Queens in the House

Drama Queens in the House by Julie Williams
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17934390-drama-queens-in-the-house?ac=1
All of Jessie's world is a stage, and she's determined to become a player, in Drama Queens in the House by Julie Williams.

Sixteen-year-old Jessie Jasper Lewis doesn’t remember a time in her life when she wasn’t surrounded by method actors, bright spotlights, and feather boas. Her parents started the Jumble Players Theater together, and theater is the glue that holds her crazy family together. But when she discovers that her father’s cheating on her mother with a man, Jessie feels like her world is toppling over. And on top of everything else, she has to deal with a delusional aunt who is predicting the end of the world. Jessie certainly doesn’t feel ready to be center stage in the production that is her family. But where does she belong in all of this chaos?


The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender

The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18166936-the-strange-and-beautiful-sorrows-of-ava-lavender?ac=1
Magical realism, lyrical prose, and the pain and passion of human love haunt this hypnotic generational saga.

Foolish love appears to be the Roux family birthright, an ominous forecast for its most recent progeny, Ava Lavender. Ava—in all other ways a normal girl—is born with the wings of a bird. In a quest to understand her peculiar disposition and a growing desire to fit in with her peers, sixteen-year old Ava ventures into the wider world, ill-prepared for what she might discover and naïve to the twisted motives of others. Others like the pious Nathaniel Sorrows, who mistakes Ava for an angel and whose obsession with her grows until the night of the Summer Solstice celebration. That night, the skies open up, rain and feathers fill the air, and Ava’s quest and her family’s saga build to a devastating crescendo. First-time author Leslye Walton has constructed a layered and unforgettable mythology of what it means to be born with hearts that are tragically, exquisitely human.


Nearly Gone

Nearly Gone by Elle Cosimano
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13409664-nearly-gone?ac=1
Bones meets Fringe in a big, dark, scary, brilliantly-plotted urban thriller that will leave you guessing until the very end.

Nearly Boswell knows how to keep secrets. Living in a DC trailer park, she knows better than to share anything that would make her a target with her classmates. Like her mother's job as an exotic dancer, her obsession with the personal ads, and especially the emotions she can taste when she brushes against someone's skin. But when a serial killer goes on a killing spree and starts attacking students, leaving cryptic ads in the newspaper that only Nearly can decipher, she confides in the one person she shouldn't trust: the new guy at school—a reformed bad boy working undercover for the police, doing surveillance. . . on her.

Nearly might be the one person who can put all the clues together, and if she doesn't figure it all out soon—she'll be next.


Storm (The SYLO Chronicles, #2)

Storm by D.J. MacHale
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18079675-storm?ac=1
WARNING- SEQUEL!
From #1 New York Times bestselling author D.J. MacHale comes STORM —the exhilarating, action-packed sequel to SYLO :

"Absolutely un-put-downable, more exciting than an X-box and roller coaster combined."—Kirkus, starred review

"With this extremely high-octane story that's the equivalent to a summer movie blockbuster, MacHale kicks off an apocalyptic trilogy sure to leave readers demanding the next installment."—Booklist

"An entertaining and creepy tale."—Publishers Weekly


A Phantom Enchantment (Unbound, #3)

A Phantom Enchantment by Eve Marie Mont
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12002496-a-phantom-enchantment?ac=1
WARNING- THIRD BOOK!
The conclusion to the Unbound trilogy, in which Emma Townsend travels to Paris and gets lost in Gaston Leroux's THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA.    

The Winter Horses

The Winter Horses by Philip Kerr
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18404397-the-winter-horses?ac=1
From New York Times bestselling author Philip Kerr comes a breathtaking journey of survival by one girl and two horses in the dark days of WWII.

It will soon be another cold winter in the Ukraine. But it's 1941, and things are different this year. Max, the devoted caretaker of an animal preserve, must learn to live with the Nazis who have overtaken this precious land. He must also learn to keep secrets-for there is a girl, Kalinka, who is hiding in the park.

Kalinka has lost her home, her family, her belongings-everything but her life. Still, she has gained one small, precious gift: a relationship with the rare wild and wily Przewalski's horses that wander the preserve. Aside from Max, these endangered animals are her only friends-until a Nazi campaign of extermination nearly wipes them out for good.

Now Kalinka must set out on a treacherous journey across the frozen Ukrainian forest to save the only two surviving horses-and herself.

This sensitive, inspiring tale captures the power of sacrifice and the endurance of the human spirit.


Whoo! Look at all those books! Have a great week everybody!

In My Mailbox Take 22!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's finally spring! I can't believe it! The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and there might actually be leaves growing on some trees. When the weather gets warmer I'm definitely going to go outside to read. It's spring break for me and I'm occupying most of my time by doing absolutely nothing! That's right, I got me a big ole stack of books to last me the week. Who wants to see them? Here they are!

Death Sworn (Death Sworn, #1)

Death Sworn by Lauren Cypress
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13549218-death-sworn?ac=1

Acid

Acid by Emma Pass
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17842041-acid

The Spell Book of Listen Taylor The Spell Book of Listen Taylor The Spell Book of Listen Taylor. The Spell Book Of Listen Taylor

The Spell Book Of Listen Taylor by Jaclyn Moriarty
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/351501.The_Spell_Book_of_Listen_Taylor

Gilded (Gilded, #1)

Gilded by Christina Farley
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16173250-gilded?ac=1

Ignite Me (Shatter Me, #3) Ignite Me (Shatter Me, #3) Ne m'abandonne pas (Insaisissable, #3) Sätt mig i brand! (Shatter Me, #3)

Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18053135-ignite-me
WARNING- THIRD BOOK!

SYLO (The SYLO Chronicles, #1)

SYLO by D.J. MacHale
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16101054-sylo?ac=1

Elusion

Elusion by Claudia Gabel and Cheryl Klam
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12369550-elusion?ac=1

A Death-Struck Year

A Death-Struck Year by Makiia Lucier
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18222767-a-death-struck-year?ac=1

Freak City Freak City Freak City

Freak City by Kathrin Schrocke
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18383834-freak-city

The Tree Shepherd's Daughter (Faire Folk, #1) A Filha do Pastor das Árvores (O Povo das Árvores, #1)

The Tree Shepherd's Daughter by Gillian Summers
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1318894.The_Tree_Shepherd_s_Daughter

A Corner of White (The Colors of Madeleine, #1) A Corner of White (The Colours of Madeleine, #1) La grieta blanca (Los colores vivientes, #1) A Fenda Branca (The Colours of Madeleine, #1)

A Corner of White by Jaclyn Moriarty
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15703332-a-corner-of-white

Evolution, Me & Other Freaks of Nature

Evolution, Me, and Other Freaks of Nature by Robin Brande
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/257800.Evolution_Me_Other_Freaks_of_Nature

Rootless El constructor de árboles Der eiserne Wald (Rootless, #1)

Rootless by Chris Howard
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13591672-rootless

Wasteland (Wasteland, #1)

Wasteland by Susan Kim and Laurence Klavan
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14815112-wasteland?ac=1

#16thingsithoughtweretrue

#16thingsithoughtweretrue by Janet Gurtler
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17586459-16thingsithoughtweretrue?ac=1

So, what did ya'll get in your mailboxes this week! Tell me! I want to know!