In My Mailbox 152

This meme was started by Kristi of The Story Siren who was inspired by Alea from Pop Culture Junkie. Check out their blogs for more information. All summaries are from the book jackets unless otherwise stated.

Snaffled from S&S:

For the last week, and next week as well, I’m doing some work experience in the publicity department at S&S. On my tour of the office, Kat very kindly told me to help myself to the books and here’s what I’ve got my grubby little hands on!

Golden – Jessi Kirby

Seventeen-year-old Parker Frost may be class valedictorian, but she has never taken a real risk. So when fate drops an old journal in her lap – one that might be the key to unravelling a town mystery – Parker decides to take a chance.

Ten years ago, Julianna Farnetti and Shane Cruz were the golden couple of Summit Lakes High, until the night they perished in a car accident. But reading Julianna’s diary leads Parker to question what really happened that night. With the help of her best friend and her longtime crush, Parker searches for the truth – and along the way, she comes to realise that taking the road less travelled makes all the difference.

I’ve wanted this since I first heard about it!

The Vow – Jessica Martinez

No one has ever believed that Mo and Annie are just friends. How can a guy and a girl really be best friends?

Then the summer before senior year, Mo’s father loses his job, and by extension his work visa. Instantly, life for Annie and Mo crumbles. Although Mo has lived in America for most of his life, he’ll be forced to move to Jordan. The prospect of leaving his home is devastating, and returning a world where he no longer belongs terrifies him.

Desperate to save him, Annie proposes they tell a colossal lie – that they are in love. Mo agrees because marrying Annie is the only way he can stay. Annie just wants to keep her best friend, but what happens when it comes to a choice between saving Mo and her own chance at real love?

I adored Virtuosity and this sounds so different. Can’t wait!

The Book of Broken Hearts – Sarah Ockler

Jude has learned a lot from her older sisters, but the most important thing is this: The Vargas brothers are notorious heartbreakers. She’s seen the tears and disasters dating a Vargas boy can cause, and she swore an oath – with candles and a contract and everything – to never have anything to do with one.

Now Jude is the only sister still living at home, and she’s spending the summer helping her ailing father restore his vintage motorcycle. No one wants to end up with a toaster on wheels, so they hire a mechanic to help out. It is Jude’s fault he happens to be cute? And surprisingly sweet? And a Vargas?

Jude tells herself it’s strictly bike business with Emilio. Her sisters will never find out, and Jude can spot those flirty little Bargas tricks a mile away – no way would she fall for them. But old warnings fade fast, because Emilio turns out to be the first guy in forever she likes. Really likes. Jude’s defences are crumbling, and if history is destined to repeat itself, she’s speeding towards some serious heartbreak...

But what if her sisters were wrong?

I absolutely loved Sarah’s debut, Twenty Boy Summer, so I can’t wait for this.

Zom-B City – Darren Shan

B Smith thought escaping from the underground prison was a step towards salvation, but life above ground is another kind of hell. How will B survive in this city of the dead?

As the clown nimbly waltzes down the steps from the terrace to the square, I get a clearer look a him. The flesh of a severed face hangs from each shoulder of her jacket. Lengths of human guts are wrapped round his arms, and severed ears are pinned to his trouser legs... the flesh around his eyes has been cut away and filled in with soot. Two v-shaped channels run from just under either eye, down to his upper lip, and the bone beneath has been painted pink. A human eye has been stuck to the end of his nose and little red stars are dotted around it... these people have seen a lot since the world went to hell, but nothing like this. Mr Dowling belongs to another dimension entirely, one even crazier and more twisted than this...

Yay! Looking forward to this as the cliffhanger for Zom-B Underground was evil!

Zom-B Angels – Darren Shan

B Smith is offered a base with the revitalised angels, but is unsure whether siding with them is the right move. When an old enemy joins the gang, B’s doubts start to multiple. And then the shocking revelations start to kick in...

As I’m hurling myself into the air, one of the reviveds catches hold of my left foot and hauls me to the floor. A cluster of them press in around me, fingers clawing at my face, trying to rip my head open, to get to the juicy brain which they think is the source of the smell.

‘No!’ I scream, pushing them back and struggling to my feet. I look around desperately, hoping that Master Zhang will help.but he just stands there, gazing at me, challenging me with his expression to figure my own way out of this mess...

Managed to snap this up as soon as it came in to the office so I’ll all prepared for the very likely cliffhanger at the end of Zom-B City!

Bought:

Fire – Kristin Cashore

Her beauty is a weapon – and Fire is going to use it.

Fire’s exceptional beauty gives her influence and power. People who are susceptible to it will do anything for her attention, and her affection.

But beauty is only skin deep, and beneath it Fire has a human appreciation of right and wrong. Aware of her ability to influence others, and afraid of it she lives in a corner of the world away from people – not only to protect them but also to protect herself from their attention, their distrust, and even their hatred.

Yet Fire is not the only danger to the Dells. If she wants to protect her home, if she wants a chance to undo the wrongs of the past, she must face her fears, her abilities, and a royal court full of powerful people with a reason to distrust her.

Fire is a powerful tale of intrigue, death-defying adventure, monsters and unexpected love.

After falling in love with Graceling, I now worship the ground Kristin Cashore walks on and bought this immediately.

For review:

The Madness Underneath – Maureen Johnson

Surviving a near fatal attack by a ghostly killer will leave its mark. Seventeen-year-old Rory Devereaux has painful new scars and deadly new powers at her fingertips. But without her secret ghost-fighting squad she feels brutally alone. She’s lying to her boyfriend, failing in class and, worse still, Rory fears that a terrifying horror stalks the streets of London.

I REALLY need to read these books! Thanks HarperCollins.

How to Be Invisible – Tim Lott

It was the 13^th September, 13 das after my 13^th birthday, when I first learnt how to be invisible.

Strato Nyman couldn’t be more of an odd-one-out. He’s the only black kid in Hedgecombe-upon-Dray, he knows more about particle physics than his teacher, and he’s constantly picked on by school bully Lloyd Archibold Turnball. It’s only at home that he blends into the background – his parents are both too busy to notice he exists. But one day, Strato picks up a dusty old book in a mysterious bookshelf and learns how to become invisible. He soon discovers that people aren’t always what they seem...not his teacher, not the bully, not even his teachers...

I’ve never heard of this before, but it sounds intriguing. Thanks Walker!

ACID – Emma Pass

ACID – the most brutal police force in history.

They rule with an iron fist.
They see everything. They know everything.
They locked me away for life.

My crime?

They say I murdered my parents.
I was fifteen years old.

 

My name is Jenna Strong.

YAY! So excited for this! Thanks RHCP!

The Blood Keeper – Tessa Gratton

‘All the blood is yours now, Mab, all the beauty of the world. Take it.’

For Mab, blood magic is as natural as breathing. Wild and confident, she uses magic to understand her whole world.

Will tries to dismiss all he sees and feels around Mab, but cannot prevent the strangeness and beauty of her craft from drawing him closer.

When one of Mab’s spells taps into a powerful curse, a terrifying foe is unleashed. Hiding in the shadows of the forest, it seeks to manipulate Will and gain Mab’s power – threatening to enjoy everything they love.

As with her pulse-pounding debut novel, Blood Magic, Tessa Gratton offers readers a breathtaking blend of romance, horror and witchcraft.

I really loved the first book so I’m looking forward to this. Thanks RHCP!

Dead Silence – Kimberly Derting

HER GIFT MADE HER DIFFERENT

A murder leaves a mark. It imprints an echo on victim and killer, detectable by only a few. For a long time, Violet Ambrose saw this ability as a curse but her work as part of a special investigative team helped her see its benefits. Until, that is, she was the victim of a horrific kidnapping and acquired an imprint of her own. Now she is desperate to put the past behind her, to ignore the echoes of the dead and lead a normal life with her boyfriend Jay.

NOW SHE’S ONE OF THEM

But when she senses a murder victim’s echo, she stumbles upon a terrifying scene unlike anything she’s ever witnessed. Frenzied and twisted, the killer left a disturbing calling card for all to see – a cross sketched in blood on the wall. Haunted by the crime, Violet finds herself pulled into a deadly hunt for a vicious madman. A hunt that will endanger everything she holds dear. She has survived dangerous situations before, but keeping her loved ones safe is far more difficult than protecting herself...

THE STAKES HAVE NEVER BEEN HIGHER

I actually haven’t read any of this series yet – should I? Thanks to Headline for this.

Sophie