Update (As of February 9, 2012)

Hi everyone! Things have been a wee bit hectic with prelims coming soon. I've read loads of books meanwhile, and hope to post more reviews soon rather than leaving them in Draftsland. Thanks for all your support and encouragement. Authors/publicists: I'm currently not accepting any review requests as stated in the updated policy, but I do so appreciate that you consider this blog a worthy avenue for your books.

In My Mailbox 19

on Sunday, 25 October 2009

Rampant by Diana Peterfreund
Forget everything you ever knew about unicorns…
The sparkly, innocent creatures of lore are a myth. Real unicorns are venomous, man-eating monsters with huge fangs and razor-sharp horns. And they can only be killed by virgin descendants of Alexander the Great.

Fortunately, unicorns have been extinct for a hundred and fifty years.

Or not.


Astrid Llewelyn has always scoffed ather eccentric mother’s stories about killer unicorns. But when one of the monsters attacks her boyfriend in the woods – thereby ruining any chance of him taking her to prom – Astrid learns that unicorns are real and dangerous, and she has a family legacy to uphold. Her mother packs her off to Rome to train as a unicorn hunter at the ancient cloisters the hunters have used for centuries.

However, at the cloisters, all is not what is seems. Outside, the unicorns wait to attack. And within, Astrid faces other, unexpected threats: from crumbling, bone-covered walls that vibrate with a terrible power to the hidden agendas of her fellow hunters to – perhaps most dangerously of all – her growing attraction to a handsome art student… and a relationship that could jeopardize everything.


Skinned by Robin Wasserman
Lia Kahn was perfect: rich, beautiful, popular. Until the accident that nearly killed her. Now she has been downloaded into a new body that only looks human. Lia will never feel pain again, she will never age, and she can't ever truly die. But she is also rejected by her friends, betrayed by her boyfriend, and alienated from her old life.

Forced to the fringes of society, Lia joins others like her. But they are looked at as freaks. They are hated...and feared. They are everything but human, and according to most people, this is the ultimate crime - for which they must pay the ultimate price.


Intertwined by Gena Showalter
Most sixteen-year-olds have friends. Aden Stone has four human souls living inside him:

One can time-travel.
One can raise the dead.
One can tell the future.
And one can possess another human.

With no other family and a life spent in and out of institutions, Aden and the souls have become friends. But now they're causing him all kinds of trouble. Like, he'll blink and suddenly he's a younger Aden, reliving the past. One wrong move, and he'll change the future. Or he'll walk past a total stranger and know how and when she's going to die.

He's so over it. All he wants is peace.

And then he meets a girl who quiets the voices. Well, as long as he's near her. Why? Mary Ann Gray is his total opposite. He's a loner; she has friends. He doesn't care what anyone thinks; she tries to make everyone happy. And while he attracts the paranormal, she repels it. For her sake, he should stay away. But it's too late..

Somehow, they share an inexplicable bond of friendship. A bond about to be tested by a werewolf shape-shifter who wants Mary Ann for his own, and a vampire princess Aden can't resist.

Two romances, both forbidden. Still, the four will enter a dark underworld of intrigue and danger - but not everyone will come out alive..


Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson
Scarlett is the third of four children in the Martin family. The Martins live in and manage a shabby hotel in NYC that dates back to the 1920s. When Scarlett turns 15, she is put in charge of one of the hotel's 27 rooms- the Empire Suite. Into this room moves Mrs. Amberson, a failed 1970s starlet who has returned to New York to write her memoirs. Soon, Scarlett is taking dictation, running around town with Mrs. Amberson, and getting caught up in her Auntie Mame-meets-Bianca Jagger adventures.

In the midst of all this, Scarlett falls in love - or so she thinks - and it takes Mrs. Amberson to help her see the light.


Bewitching Season by Marissa Doyle
In 1837 London, young daughters of viscounts pined for handsome, titled husbands, not careers. And certainly not careers in magic. At least, most of them didn't.

Shy, studious Persephone Leland would far rather devote herself to her secret magic studies than enter society and look for a suitable husband. But right as the inevitable season for "coming out" is about to begin, Persy and her twin sister discover that their governess in magic has been kidnapped as part of a plot to gain control of the soon-to-be Queen Victoria. Racing through Mayfair ballrooms and royal palaces, the sisters overcome bad millinery, shady royal spinsters, and a mysterious Irish wizard. And along the way, Persy learns that husband hunting isn't such an odious task after all, if you can find the right quarry.


Storm Glass by Maria V Snyder
Untrained. Untested. Unleashed. With her unique magical abilities, Opal has always felt unsure of her place at Sitia's magic academy. But when the Stormdancer clan needs help, Opal's knowledge makes her the perfect choice - until the mission goes awry. Pulling her powers in unfamiliar directions, Opal finds herself tapping into a new kind of magic as stunningly potent as it is frightening. Now Opal must deal with plotters out to destroy the Stormdancer clan, as well as a traitor in their midst. With danger and deception rising around her, will Opal's untested abilities destroy her - or save them all?



Disclaimer: Credit for the implementation of IMM posts go to Kristi of The Story Siren and Alea of Pop Culture Junkie. Credit goes, and will always go, to them, for this and future IMM posts. I take no credit for this meme, and future IMM posts wouldn't exist without them both. It should be taken note of that there might be times where I won't be writing this for every IMM post. That does not mean that I am taking credit for it. It just means that I'm just too lazy to write it down.

11 comment(s):

iluvhersheys_andbooks said...

OMG. I really really want to read Storm Glass. You are so lucky you got it. And I read Intertwined and loved, I cant wait to see what you think of it.

Liviania said...

That's an awesome list! Lucky mailbox.

Ravenous Reader said...

Yeay for having such great books this week! What are you diving into next?

Lea said...

I really want to read Rampant! Skinned is a great book, as is Suite Scarlett. I got the Bewitching Season too!

Are Maria's books any good? I've heard mixed reviews,

Happy reading!

Book Butterfly (Kim) said...

I won Suite Scarlett but haven't read it yet. It looks super cute! And Intertwined looks so AWESOME! Happy reading!

...MY NAME IS ELENI AND I AM A BOOKAHOLIC... said...

Nice books! I hope you enjoy Skinned & Intertwined, I liked them :)

Rebecca said...

Great books you got this week. I just finished Suite Scarlett yesterday. It's quite good. Hope you enjoy reading all your books.

Brodie said...

Ohh Rampant/Skinned/Intertwined/Storm Glass - I want! LOL. And loving the synopsis for the other ones too *just read*. I'm hiding out in your mailbox this week :D

Emily said...

Lots of interesting books! I'm interested to read your review of Rampant especially since I've seen it mentioned a lot but I'm not sure yet if I want to read it. Enjoy your books!

Emily
What Book is That?

Juju at Tales of Whimsy.com said...

Suite Scarlett sounds so cute!

Word Eater said...

in my mailbox, what a creative idea. i'm so glad to see that you credit the creator.