In My Mailbox Take 20!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow! Guess what? I've done 20 In My Mailboxes! This is awesome! Who wants to celebrate? I'm gonna celebrate by reading these fabulous books I've received this week. Woohoo!

 

Nil by Lynne Matson
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18005276-nil

 

Dangerous by Shannon Hale
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8585924-dangerous

 

The Finisher by David Baldacci
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18282060-the-finisher?ac=1



Half Bad by Sally Green
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18079804-half-bad?ac=1

  

Exposure by Kathy Reichs
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18079755-exposure
WARNING- FOURTH BOOK!



Faking Normal by Courtney C. Stevens
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15726915-faking-normal?ac=1



Spellcaster by Claudia Gray
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12700790-spellcaster?ac=1

 

Maybe One Day by Melissa Kantor
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18053047-maybe-one-day

 

Perfect Lies by Kiersten White
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12578370-perfect-lies
WARNING- SEQUEL!



The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17756559-the-winner-s-curse



Let the Storm Break by Shannon Messenger
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13645358-let-the-storm-break?ac=1
WARNING- SEQUEL!



Threatened by Eliot Schrefer
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18222541-threatened?ac=1

 

The Hit by Melvin Burgess
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18222538-the-hit



Wayfarer by Lili St. Crow
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18079680-wayfarer?ac=1
WARNING- COMPANION!



Fire & Flood by Victoria Scott
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16069167-fire-flood?ac=1



Tremor by Patrick Carman
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18050560-tremor?ac=1
WARNING- SEQUEL!



Willow by Tonya Cherie Hegamin
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18142378-willow?from_search=true



Tin Star by Cecil Castellucci
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17255996-tin-star?ac=1



Road Rash by Mark Huntley Parsons
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17910568-road-rash?ac=1

 

Dogs Don't Lie by Clea Simon
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8697867-dogs-don-t-lie

 

Cats Can't Shoot by Clea Simon
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12814060-cats-can-t-shoot
WARNING- SEQUEL!



Parrots Prove Deadly by Clea Simon
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15811852-parrots-prove-deadly

  

Mew is for Murder by Clea Simon
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/763842.Mew_Is_for_Murder
WARNING- SEQUEL!



Cattery Row by Clea Simon
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/89787.Cattery_Row?ac=1
WARNING- SEQUEL!


Cries and Whiskers by Clea Simon
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1918148.Cries_and_Whiskers
WARNING- THIRD BOOK!



Probable Claws by Clea Simon
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6059617-probable-claws
WARNING- FOURTH BOOK!

As you can probably tell, I wanted to read books by Clea Simon. I just love cats and mysteries and these books combine both! What's up with all the books about cat mysteries? Is it because people think most readers are crazy cat ladies? Anyway, happy reading!

Review on Dead Silent

Who here loves a good mystery? A killer is on the loose. The police do nothing except sit around. Only the main character and his/her lover can find the killer before the main character becomes the next victim. This storyline has been used so many times, but it's interesting to see what authors do to create twists no one expects. Can you predict who the killer is and be right most of the time? Have all those detective shows been worthwhile? Well, read Dead Silent by Sharon Jones to see just how good you are at predicting the truth.



Format: Paperback
Pub. Date: February 6th, 2014
Summary:
A snow angel etched in blood. An elite society. A secret dying to get out.
​
The second Poppy Sinclair Thriller.

When Poppy Sinclair and her boyfriend visit snowy Cambridge, she doesn't expect to discover the body of a student - arms outstretched in the act of smearing bloody angel wings on the chapel's floor.

Suddenly, Poppy is faced with the possibility that the one closest to her heart might be the one committing the most malicious of crimes.

Dodging porters and police, dreading what she might find, Poppy follows the clues left by a murderer bent on revenge...

Long-hidden secrets are chillingly revealed, an avenging angel seeks forgiveness and red-hot vengeance must be quelled in the amazing new Poppy Sinclair thriller.
My rating: 4 out of 5 angel wings!
My recommendation: Anyone who loves a good mystery!
My review:
My copy was provided by Netgalley.
Poppy and her boyfriend are visiting Cambridge where her boyfriend is taking a couple classes there. Poppy decides to visit her father that she barely ever talks to, but what makes the trip worthwhile is that Poppy can go into Michael's room any time she wants. The main purpose of this trip is for Poppy to finally gain the courage to have sex with Michael.
The simple vacation quickly changes when a dead body is found and Poppy's father is the main suspect for the murder. Poppy found the body in the chapel, but the murderer played with the body. The murderer smeared the victim's blood on the floor to make it seem as if the victim had bloody angel wings.
Poppy has to figure out who is committing the murders before the bodies begin piling up and she possibly becomes the next victim. Yet when secret societies are involved, who knows who the killer really is.
This book seemed better than Dead Jealous, especially with the bond between Poppy and Michael. You could really get into the relationship between the two and I could tell just how much Michael adores Poppy. Their relationship was strong and the bond between them was unbreakable. Even through the tension in their relationship, they never gave up on each other and supported each other no matter what.
The mystery of this book was intriguing and kept me wondering the whole time. I could never figure out who the actual killer was which is what a good thriller should do. It was also interesting with the secret societies and what Poppy's father had to do with the murders.
The ending surprised me which is really rare for a mystery novel. Usually you would have already guessed the murderer and everything ties in quite nicely, but not in this book. The ending was messy yet enthralling and I loved it.
It got a little weird for me when the book delved into the paranormal. I wasn't expecting it at all so when the paranormal arrived, I was a bit confused over it. Poppy continuously made bad decisions, but considering how often she encountered the dead bodies, I would certainly act like her! No teenager is perfect, but Poppy never gave up and let someone else try and fail to solve the murders. She didn't give in and she would do anything to prove her father innocent, even though they had a strained relationship.
While it was slow at times, especially in the beginning, the ending more than made up for it. I can't wait to read the next book and see what happens to Poppy next.

Review on Autumn

Everyone has heard about werewolves. Especially after Twilight. Who wouldn't want a werewolf to imprint on you and treat you like a goddess? Would you consider being a werewolf a blessing or a curse? You can be super strong and powerful, but you might not be able to transform when you transform. What if your family is cursed to become a werewolf whenever a son turns eighteen? What if instead of becoming a werewolf, you become a werecoyote? But you can't become human again. You're stuck on two legs for the rest of your life. Do you get what I'm going at? If you are, then you must have read Autumn by Sierra Dean. If you have no clue what I'm talking about, read the book!



Format: Paperback/e-book
Pub. Date: June 12th, 2013
Summary:
Cooper Reynolds's life is going to the dogs... literally.

As if being a high school senior in a small Texas town wasn't hard enough, Cooper has bigger things to worry about than who he'll take to prom and whether or not the Poisonfoot Padres will win homecoming. He has less than a year before his eighteenth birthday, when a curse placed on his family will doom him to live in coyote form forever.

The last thing he needs to complicate his already messed-up life is a girl, but fate has other plans in mind for him when it brings Eloise "Lou" Whittaker to Poisonfoot. She's grouchy, sarcastic and has no love for her new Texas home, but she might be exactly the right person to help Cooper break the curse.

The clock is ticking, and Cooper will have to decide if he's willing to let Lou in on his dirty little secret before it's too late.
My rating: 5 out of 5 coyotes!
My recommendation: Anyone who likes books about curses.
My review:
My copy was provided by Netgalley.
Lou is a typical teenager who is being forced to move from California to the middle of nowhere, but the reason for leaving is depressing. Her father just died and Lou's mother decided to move in with Lou's grandmother to save money. Lou didn't want to leave her home, her father, and all her friends. Lou thought that Poisonfoot would be boring and nothing exciting would happen. Who knew that moving would turn her whole life upside down.
Cooper is ostracized at school. He doesn't have any friends and people bully him at times. Yet he's okay with that. He knows that everyone has a reason to hate him. He knows the inevitable would happen. But what he didn't know was that Lou moving to Poisonfoot would change his whole life. Lou might be the only one who can break the curse. There are some people, however, who don't want this curse to be broken.
I absolutely loved this book! It was amazing and that cliffhanger at the end is leaving me dying for me. It had the perfect amount of action, romance, and the feels. I couldn't put it down until I finished it. It was interesting the whole time and there wasn't a dull moment.
Lou was very funny and sarcastic. I loved her sense of humor and how she never took orders from anyone. Even when her own grandmother told her to stay away from Cooper, Lou just knew she had to stay by his side no matter what. She didn't care what other people thought of her. Her friends disapproved of her nickname and tried to think of a more feminine one for her, but Lou never wanted to change it, even if it made her more popular. She didn't care about popularity or what would happen to her status at school if she hung out with Cooper. Lou just wanted to be with Cooper and she didn't care what anyone said.
Cooper was awesome too. He wasn't a typical bad boy guy with a lot of baggage. He doesn't brood and mope about himself. He accepted what would happen to him and he was fine with whatever people said about him. All the insults went over his head as he waited for his fate to come. Instead of closing himself off, he wanted to live his life to the fullest. He didn't quit the football team because no one cheered for him. He just wanted to help his team even though everyone hated him.
The relationship between Cooper and Lou was cute. They started off friends without any insta-love. Their interactions and conversations were sweet, just how they are with regular teenage couples.
The ending was kinda confusing, but I'm okay with it as I'm sure the other books will explain more. The ending was a tad abrupt, but it made me want to instantly read the next book.
I really felt for Cooper and I felt so bad for him. He accepted his fate, but I felt bad as he went through school with no one liking him, without any friends.
The book is intriguing and entertaining. The ending was definitely unexpected and I can't wait to read the sequel!

Review on The Purple Girl

Are you different? Well, everyone is different, but are you different on a physical level? A mental level? What if you were different in a way that you couldn't hide? What if you were purple? Yeah, I'm talking Barney the Dinosaur kind of purple. Do you know how hard that would be? Everyone would shun and hate you, but Violet from The Purple Girl by Audrey Kane never gave up life.



Format: Paperback/ e-book
Pub. Date:
Summary:
CAUTION! Violet lives within the pages of this book. And her purple spreads to everything she touches ... Violet lives behind garden walls. Is she magical? Is she the devil's child-or simply cursed? When the lonely thirteen-year-old embarks on a dangerous journey to find the one boy that dared to befriend her, she travels at night ... in the dark ... to keep people from seeing her purple skin. But no one is more surprised than Violet when she unlocks her mysterious gift. Go where adventure, discovery and magic meet! Although this fun read captures the imagination of middle grade readers, discrimination is at the core of the novel ... but so are possibilities, and they appear everywhere.
My rating: 4 out of 5 violets!
My recommendation: Anyone who wants to read a book about a girl who never gives up.
My review:
My copy was provided by Netgalley.
Violet is different than anyone else in the whole world. She was born a completely different color. When her mother's midwife saw her, she screamed. Violet was born purple and stayed purple her whole life. Everything she touches turns purple. The color disappears after a while, but who would stay near her if they think her color is contagious?
She's feared from the other villagers and is blamed for every problem they experience. She has never gone beyond the stone wall her father built around her house alone. She only ever goes with her mother and those times are rare. She is all alone except for her dog that follows her everywhere.
Yet when a boy sneaks over the wall and talks to her, Violet gains her first friend. The two talk and soon become best friends. Frankie doesn't care what Violet looks like; he likes her for who she is. But when he has to leave with his family to find work and money, Violet is all alone with just her dog. So she goes on an adventure to find her best friend and learn who she really is.
I like how that even though Violet was feared because of her color, she loved herself for who she is. She didn't think the purple defined her; it's just a part of who she is. Even when she got the opportunity to lose the purple in exchange for her voice box, Violet would rather keep the purple and be shunned forever.
I predicted what would happen in the book, but there were some twists I definitely didn't expect. The illustrations were pretty and were well illustrated. I liked how they didn't appear to be random and went with the story quite nicely, though there were only a few on them.
The book wasn't too short and it wasn't too long. I enjoyed it and I loved Violet's self-resilience. She never gave up and admitted she wanted to be normal. She embraced her differences and was a great role model for kids.
It was a great read and kept me entertained the whole time.

Review on Don't Even Think About It

Who has ever wanted to read someone's mind? I know I have! There are times when I wanted to listen in on someone to hear what they thought of me. Sometimes I wanted to know if a guy likes me. Maybe he's just too shy to ask me out. There are good things to mind reading. Like being able to cheat off tests and knowing everyone's secrets. What some people don't realize is some of the thoughts you can hear. You can hear teens thinking about sex all the time, someone thinking about suicide, or even your parents having sex.
Don't Even Think About It by Sarah Mlynowski explores the good and bad about being able to read someone's mind.



Format: Hardcover/ e-book
Pub. Date: March 11th, 2014
Summary:
Contemporary teen fiction with romance, secrets, scandals, and ESP from the author of Ten Things We Did (And Probably Shouldn't Have).

We weren't always like this. We used to be average New York City high school sophomores. Until our homeroom went for flu shots. We were prepared for some side effects. Maybe a headache. Maybe a sore arm. We definitely didn't expect to get telepathic powers. But suddenly we could hear what everyone was thinking. Our friends. Our parents. Our crushes. Now we all know that Tess is in love with her best friend, Teddy. That Mackenzie cheated on Cooper. That, um, Nurse Carmichael used to be a stripper.

Since we've kept our freakish skill a secret, we can sit next to the class brainiac and ace our tests. We can dump our boyfriends right before they dump us. We know what our friends really think of our jeans, our breath, our new bangs. We always know what's coming. Some of us will thrive. Some of us will crack. None of us will ever be the same.
So stop obsessing about your ex. We're always listening.
My rating: 4 out of 5 flu shots!
My recommendation: Anyone who loves books about ESP!
My review:
My copy was provided by Netgalley.
One day, the homeroom of 10B all went together to get flu shots at their school. One guy was sick that day and another girl refused to get a shot. All kids get their shot and go on as normal. But there was something...off about those shots. It turns out that there was something in that shot that made everyone who got it develop ESP. They could all read each other's minds. Secrets were the thing of the past. Nobody could hide anything. They couldn't keep secret cheating on a test, a possibly pregnancy test, anything.
At first, the students loved the ESP. After learning how to take advantage of the situation, everyone loved their abilities. Now they can cheat on tests, know if a guy/girl likes them, and know every single detail about each other's lives. But knowing too much can be a bad thing. If someone had a terrible secret, they wouldn't be able to keep it no matter how hard they tried. Someone's family could fall apart from the secrets that were kept from each other.
This whole book is about whether the ability to read minds is a good thing or a terrible curse.
This book was fun and fast-paced. The narration was different than regular book. There is no specific member of the homeroom explaining the story. It's only a member of the homeroom, someone who knows what "we" do, what "we" know, all in "our" homeroom. It was definitely different and unique.
The author was excellent on describing what's on a teenager's mind. She wasn't afraid to explain some of the naughty things teenagers think about every day. She used some language that kept this book serious enough for me to enjoy it, but it was still fun for me to read.
This book combines drama, friendship, and relationships all into one. The real message in this book is about the consequences of keeping secrets. Keeping some secrets may be necessary to keep everything together, but some secrets are meant to be shared, no matter how painful they may seem.
Instead of sticking to one specific character, the author went through every person in the homeroom. She gave everyone a personality, a spark. It was very easy to me to keep track of all the characters from how the author made everyone so different and life like.
Some of the characters I could relate to and some of them I couldn't. I felt bad for Cooper and I loved Olivia. I didn't like Mackenzie and Tess made me feel sympathetic towards her. BJ was just hilarious and I like what happened to him in the end.
I feel like the ending wrapped up quite nicely, but there can definitely be a sequel that I would enjoy.
All in all, this book was fun and awesome. I love this author's style of writing and I can't wait for more!

Review on Open Minds

I have once again read a book about mind reading. What would you do if you lived in a society where being a mind reader is normal? Where if you can't read minds, you basically can't go to college or get married or live the life you have always wanted? Well, Open Minds by Susan Kaye Quinn, is about a society where being different can get you killed or it could be you who is doing the killing.



Format: Paperback/ e-book
Pub. Date: November 11th, 2011
Summary:
When everyone reads minds, a secret is a dangerous thing to keep.

Sixteen-year-old Kira Moore is a zero, someone who can’t read thoughts or be read by others. Zeros are outcasts who can’t be trusted, leaving her no chance with Raf, a regular mindreader and the best friend she secretly loves. When she accidentally controls Raf’s mind and nearly kills him, Kira tries to hide her frightening new ability from her family and an increasingly suspicious Raf. But lies tangle around her, and she’s dragged deep into a hidden world of mindjackers, where having to mind control everyone she loves is just the beginning of the deadly choices before her.My rating: 4 out of 5 mindjackers!
My recommendation: Anyone who likes books about mind readers.
My review:
My copy was provided by Netgalley.
Kira lives in a society where mind readers basically rule the world. Anyone can read your mind and anyone can know your secrets. Your neighbors are mind readers, your mom is a mind reader. Except for the few who can't. The people who can't read minds are referred to as zeros. Zeros go through life never knowing what's going on. In the society they live in, people prefer to read minds than speak out loud, making school very difficult. When you're a zero, you are most likely never going to college or you're never going to get your dream job.
Kira goes through school not knowing what people think about her. People never trust her and treat her like trash all because she's different. The only person who hasn't treated her like a nobody is her best friend Raf. But Kira still feels like an outsider. That is, until she discovers her ability to not only read people's minds, but she can jack them and control them. She's not alone, but there are those who want her kind destroyed and there are some who want to use her powers for domination.
This book started off like a regular YA book with teenage drama, bullying, and Kira trying to fit in in a world that would never accept her. Yet soon this book delves into secret societies, the FBI, and so many things I didn't expect. Open Minds really surprised me with its numerous twists and turns that I definitely didn't expect. The book didn't get too weird and it didn't get so complicated that I didn't know what the heck was going on. It kept me interested the whole time.
Kira was an admirable girl. She accepted her fate of being a zero, but she never lost hope that she could one day become a mind reader. Even though she liked Raf and knew that the relationship between them would probably never happen, she still liked him and tried to protect him.
Kira's morals never changed. She never wanted to use her powers for evil even though she could easily make someone do anything she wanted. She never wanted to hurt anyone and Kira always objected when they tried to hurt others. Kira was brave, always standing up for herself and wasn't afraid to speak up when she knew others were doing wrong.
She just wanted to use her powers for good. It's just that others wanted her to do the opposite.
I loved Raf. He was so sweet and so much like the boy next door type. It was obvious that he adores Kira and would do anything for her. He didn't care that Kira was a zero. He didn't pretend she existed. He would openly talk to her in front of all his friends, not caring what that did to his reputation. He was an amazing guy and I definitely want more from him in the next book.
This book takes awhile to explain things so it was kinda confusing before the explanations like with Kira's dad and some of the aspects of the mindjackers' powers.
This book was definitely imaginative and original. This author was not afraid to take chances other authors wouldn't have made and I can't wait until I get my hands on the sequel!

Review on Donna of the Dead

Who likes zombies? Who thinks that they can survive the zombie apocalypse? I mean, you need a ton of guns, weapons, maybe an axe, and tons of food.
Zombies are popular nowadays, rivaling with vampires. The theory on zombies can actually be true. It just hasn't happened yet. Spooky, huh?
This book I read, Donna of the Dead by Alison Kemper, is full of wit and feelings as she deals with zombies and cheerleaders.



Format: E-book
Pub. Date: March 4th, 2014
Summary:
Donna Pierce might hear voices, but that doesn’t mean she’s crazy. Probably.

The voices do serve their purpose, though—whenever Donna hears them, she knows she’s in danger. So when they start yelling at the top of their proverbial lungs, it’s no surprise she and her best friend, Deke, end up narrowly escaping a zombie horde. Alone without their families, they take refuge at their high school with the super-helpful nerds, the bossy class president, and—best of all?—Liam, hottie extraordinaire and Donna’s long-time crush. When Liam is around, it’s easy to forget about the moaning zombies, her dad’s plight to reach them, and how weird Deke is suddenly acting toward her.

But as the teens’ numbers dwindle and their escape plans fall apart, Donna has to listen to the secrets those voices in her head have been hiding. It seems not all the zombies are shuffling idiots, and the half-undead aren’t really down with kids like Donna…
My rating: 5 out of 5 zombies!
My recommendation: Anyone who wants to read about zombies.
My review:
My copy was provided by Netgalley.
Donna is a regular teenage girl. She has a crush on the hottest school and she has a guy best friend that may or may not be in love with her. When Donna and Deke, the best friend, go on a cruise with Donna's family, it just seems like it'll be a fun little vacation where the two can hang out while everyone else is at school.
On the news, it shows that a new virus has come about and it's quickly spreading around the world, but Donna doesn't really care about it. Except when Donna's voices tell her to run. She has voices that speak up in times of danger and when her voices tell her to run, she does. Because it turns out this virus has turned everyone to zombies and Donna and Deke must get off the boat and manage to survive on land.
They reach their high school and are trapped inside with Donna's crush, nerds, and cheerleaders. Donna has to survive and learn what these voices mean before the zombies come for her. She also has to figure out her feelings for both Liam and Deke.
This book was so hilarious. Donna's witty jokes had me laughing out loud at some points. What I didn't like about her was how shallow she seemed to be in the beginning. She would rather save herself than others, but that is typical to what others would act like if they're being attacked by zombies. She really grew as a person over the course of the book. She became stronger and instead of being a wimp, she saved people and would do anything to help her friends. Even though she thought of herself as being useless, she never gave up and never stopped believing her father would come for her.
The love triangle in the book wasn't annoying where there are two guys fighting over one girl who just can't choose one guy. Deke was adorable and I love how he likes Donna, but Donna is too dense to see it. Yet when she felt the passion for Liam, there was always that one spark in her that burned for Deke. Deke was devoted to Donna and even though he was surrounded by cheerleaders, he stuck by Donna and loved her the whole time.
This book was definitely original. The virus infecting people wasn't, but the way the virus and the zombies were portrayed kept this book from sounding boring. It was very fast paced and never had a dull moment. Donna of the Dead was action packed and kept me on my toes the whole time. There were twists and turns that I wasn't expecting at all and I loved them. When I finished the book, I could hardly believe it was over. I can't wait to read the sequel.