In My Mailbox 67

This meme was started by the fabulous Kristi who was inspired by Alea. Check out their blogs for more information. All summaries are from the book jackets.

For review:
 

Pastworld - Ian Beck

To Eve, a lifelong resident of PASTWORLD, horse-drawn carriages and gas lamps are modern technology. Eve doesn’t even know she’s living in a simulation - until she is forced to flee the only home she’s ever known, and to confront the truth about her city and herself.

To Caleb, a tourist visiting PASTWORLD, the theme park is the perfect antidote to the stifling conformity and regulation of 2048. Until he finds himself at the scene of a murder, holding the knife, and suddenly becomes a fugitive from an antiquated justice system.

And in the midst of it all, a dark and deadly figure prowls, claiming victim after victim. He’s the Fantom, a creature both of the past and of the future, in whose dark purpose Caleb and Eve will find their destinies combined.

I’ve had my eye on this since it came out in hardback last year, so thanks, Bloomsbury!

Manifest - Artist Arthur

Krystal just met the perfect boy. Trouble is, he’s dead.

When fifteen-year-old Krystal Bentley moves to Lincoln, Connecticut, her mom’s hometown, she assumes her biggest drama will be adjusting to the burbs after living in New York City.

But Lincoln is nothing like Krystal imagined. The weirdness begins when Ricky Watson starts confiding in her. He’s cute, funny, a good listener - and everything she’d ever want - except that he was killed nearly a year ago. Krystal’s ghost-whispering talents soon lead other “freaks” to her door - Sasha, a rich girl who can literally disappear, and Jake, who moves objects with his mind. All three share a distinctive birthmark in the shape of an M and, fittingly, call themselves the Mystyx. they set out to learn what really happened to Ricky, only to realise that they aren’t the only ones with mysterious powers. But if Krystal succeeds in finding out the truth about Ricky’s death, will she lose him for good?

Thanks to Kimani Tru for this one. I do like a ghost story every now and then.
 

Forest Born - Shannon Hale

Growing up in the Forest, Rin always turns to the trees when she needs peace or reassurance, then one day she senses a change. Rin knows that something bad is happening, and maybe she will find answers in the city.

But a mysterious threat haunts Bayern too, and Rin must join the magical fire sisters - Isi, Enna and Dasha - before venturing back into the woods towards the kingdom of Kel, to face what lies in wait for all of them.

Shannon Hale once again proves herself an irresistible storyteller, bringing readers back to a world rich with plot twists and a little dose of magic.

Thanks to Bloomsbury for this. I didn’t like the other Shannon Hale book I read so I’m not sure if I’ll read this one.
 

Sweethearts: Star-Crossed - Jo Cotterill

‘You did WHAT?’ screamed Mari. ‘You turned down the cutest boy ever? Are you crazy?’

This summer, Fliss is playing Juliet opposite her dream Romeo. If only she could tell him how she feels!

But unless she finds some inner confidence, she’s going to miss her chance with him.

Because someone else has her eyes on Fliss’s role - and her leading an…

This sounds so cute! It also came with four little packets of Sweet Hearts (fizzy, fruity candy for you non-UKer‘s) and a bookmark. Thanks, Red Fox/Random House.

Annexed - Sharon Dogar (ARC)

From Goodreads: Everyone knows about Anne Frank, and her life hidden in the secret annexe - or do they? Peter van Pels and his family are locked away in there with the Franks, and Peter sees it all differently. He's a boy, and for a boy it's just not the same. What is it like to be forced into hiding with Anne Frank, to hate her and then find yourself falling in love with her? To know you're being written about in her diary, day after day? What's it like to sit and wait and watch whilst others die, and you wish you were fighting? How can Anne and Peter try to make sense of one of the most devastating episodes in recent history n the holocaust? Anne's diary ends on August 4, 1944, but Peter's story takes us on, beyond their betrayal and into the Nazi death camps. He details with accuracy, clarity and compassion, the reality of day to day survival in Auschwitz - and the terrible conclusion. It's a story rooted firmly in history and it asks a question of us all: Are we listening? 'Is anybody there'? Peter cries from the depths of his despair in the camps. Read it, and you will be.

I loved Sharon Dogar’s first two books so I’m really looking forward to this. Thanks, Andersen Press!

Blog Tour:

A Most Improper Magick - Stephanie Burgis (ARC)

At twelve years old, any proper young lady should be quietly sitting at home practising her embroidery, learning French and keeping her opinions to herself.

But Kat Stephenson is no ordinary young lady.

Kat’s father may be a respectable vicar, but her late mother was a notorious witch, her brother has gambled the whole family into debt, and Kat herself is the newest target of an ancient and secretive magical Order.

In the first thrilling instalment of The Unladylike Adventures of Kat Stephenson, Kat sets to win her older siblings their true loves, battling highwaymen, sinister aristocrats, wild magic and even ghosts along the way.

I’m reading this at the moment and it's extremely cute and lots of fun.

Bought:

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner - Stephenie Meyer

Bree Tanner can barely remember life before she had uncannily powerful senses, superhuman reflexes and unstoppable physical strength. Life before she had a relentless thirst for blood…life before she became a vampire.

All Bree knows is that living with her fellow newborns has few certainties and even fewer rules: watch your back, don’t draw attention to yourself, and above all, make it home by sunrise or die. What she doesn’t know: her time as an immortal is quickly running out.

Then Bree finds an unexpected friend in Diego, a newborn just as curious as Bree about their mysterious creator, whom they know only as her. As they come to realise the newborns are pawns in a game larger than anything they could have imagined, Bree and Diego must choose sides and decide whom to trust. But when everything you know is based on a lie, how do you find out the truth?

In another irresistible combination of danger, mystery, and romance, Stephenie Meyer tells the devastating story of the newborn army as they prepare to close in on Bella Swan and the Cullens, following their encounter to its unforgettable conclusion.

Yay!! Need I Say more?

Sisters Red - Jackson Pearce

Countless teenage girls have been murdered…and Scarlett and Rosie March know how they die; torn apart by werewolves. For Scarlett, the memories of a similar attack have left not just emotional scars, but physical ones. The sisters fight side by side to save others from the same fate.

When the mysterious and brooding Silas arrives he inadvertently causes a series of events that could endanger them all. As passion grows between Rosie and Silas, Scarlett uncovers some shocking secrets about Silas’s family history that could tear the sisters apart - one way or another…

After all of the brilliant reviews I’ve read of this, I had to get it. And the cover is gorgeous!

I also got a fabulous new laptop that Im completely in love with. Technically I shouldn’t be using it yet as it isn’t my birthday until Tuesday, but hey ho!

Sophie