In My Mailbox 125

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 unless otherwise stated.

I got back to Bath to move into my (awesome) new house on Friday night and had some packages waiting for me!

For review:

The Forsaken – Lisa M Strasse

Every teenager must take the tests.

If you pass, you live.

If you fail, you’re forsaken.

Sixteen-year-old Alenna wakes up in the worst place on Earth: alone on an island infested with warring tribes of feral teenagers.

If she wants to escape, she must make impossible choices. Join or battle the evil Monk? Fight or fall for Liam, the boy she’s drawn to?

Abandoned. Exiled. Forsaken.

Alenna’s fight for survival starts now.

I really, really love the sound of this one. Thanks, Orchard!

The Blessed – Tonya Hurley

Three lost girls.

One mysterious guy.

Their battle for his heart.

His struggle for their souls.

Lucy, Celia and Agnes find themselves in the emergency room of a Brooklyn hospital at their lowest point. All rebels running from their lives and plagued by broken hearts and broken dreams.

Enter Sebastian.

Mysterious, compelling, seductive.

He brings each of them what they long for... But in the battle for his heart, will they lose their souls?

I’m rather intrigued by this one. Thanks, Hodder!

God Save the Queen – Kate Locke

London, present day – and Queen Victoria still rules with an immortal fist.

She’s the undead matriarch of a Britain where the Aristocracy is  made up of werewolves and vampires, where goblins live underground and mothers know better than to let their children out after dark. A world where technology lives side by side with magic, where being nobility means being infected with the plague (side effects include undeath) and hysteria is a popular affliction of the day.

Xandra Vardan is a member of the elite Royal Guard, and it’s her duty to protect the Aristocracy. But things get complicated when her sister goes missing. Xandra will not only realise she’s the prize in a dangerous power struggle – but she’ll also uncover a conspiracy that threatens to topple the empire itself.

This was a surprise package and I think it sounds amazing. Thanks, Orbit!

The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell – Chris Colfer

Alex and Conner Bailey’s world is about to change.

When the twins’ grandmother goves them a treasured fairy-tale book, they’re about to enter a land beyond all imagining: the Land of Stories, where fairy tales are real.

But as Alex and Conner soon discover, the stories they know so well haven’t ended in this magical land – Goldilocks is now a wanted fugitive, Red Riding Hood has her own kingdom, and Queen Cinderella is about to become a mother!

The twins know they must get back home somehow. But with the legendary Evil Queen on their trail, will they ever find the way?

The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spel brings readers on a thrilling quest filled with magic spells, laugh-out-loud humour, and page0turning adventure.

I was so jealous when everyone got a copy of this a few weeks back and I didn’t so I was very excited to find one waiting for me in Bath. Thansk, Atom!

Why We Broke Up – Daniel Handler

This is the box, Ed.

Inside is everything.

Two bottle caps,

a movie ticket from Greta in the Wild,

a note from you,

a box of matches,

your protractor,

Joan’s book,

the stolen sugar,

a toy truck,

those ugly earrings,

a comb from the motel,

and the rest of it.

This is it, Ed.

The whole story of why we broke up.

I actually already have a US proof of this but haven’t gotten around to it yet, but with all the mixed reviews I’m looking forward to seeing what I think of it. Thanks, Electtric Monkey!

Heaven – Alexandra Adornetto

Is love a great enough power against evil?

Bethany, am angel sent to Earth, and her mortal boyfriend Xavier have been to Hell and back. When they defy angelic laws and marry their love will be put to its highest test yet. Their punishment comes in a terrifying form: the Sevens, rogue angels bent on keeping Beth and Xavier apart and darkening angelic power in the heavens.

The only way Bethany and Xavier can elude the Sevens is to hide in the open, blending in with other mortals their own age. But there is still danger around each corner. Will Bethany be called back to Heaven – for ever – and face leaving the love of her life?

I actually haven’t read any of this trilogy, though I have all three books. Thanks, Atom.

Breathe – Sarah Crossan

When oxygen levels plunger in a treeless world, a state lottery decides which lucky few will live inside the Pod. Everyone else will slowly suffocate.

Years after the Switch, society is divided into Premiums and Auxilaries. Only Premiumscan afford enough oxygen to live a normal life. Dissenters to the regime are ejected from the pod.

Alima belongs to a rebel group. On the verge of capture, she is rescued by a Premium boy and together they escape from the pod – with just two days worth of air. Outside, they unearth conspiracy on a breathtaking level. But can they survive long enough to tell anyone?

I am so excited about this – it sounds so good! Thank you, Bloomsbury!

Bought:

Throne of Glass – Sarah J Maas

Meet Salaena Sardothien.

Beautiful. Deadly.

Destined for greatness.

In the dark, filthy salt mines of Endovier, an eighteen-year-old girl is serving a life sentence. She is a trained assassin, the best of her kind, but she macde a fatal mistake. She got caught.

Young Captain Westfall offers her a deal: her freedom in return for one huge sacrifice. Celaena must represent the prince in a to-the-death tournament – fighting the most gifted thieves and assassins in the land. Live or die, Calaena will be free. Win or lose, she is about to discover her true destiny. But will her assassin’s heart be melted?

I’ve already read, reviewed and completely loved a proof of this, but I had to have a finished copy to go on my shelves!

Sophie